Posted by Joshua Bousel, September 26, 2008 at 8:15 PM
It may be a little early in the season to start dolling out the "I'm thankful for's," but there's really isn't a time that we can't be grateful for the porky, fatty cuisine from the Philippines. I owe so much my fiancée; and her family for opening me up to the world of tocino, lumpia, lechon, and adobo—just to name a few. Among all the tasty dishes, I've found a real affinity for the Filipino breakfast meats, one of my favorites being longanisa, a garlic and vinegar-rich pork sausage.
An excellent recipe came my way about a year ago via Marvin over at Burnt Lumpia. Like him, I wanted to create a sausage remnant the ones cooked by my (future) family, and although I'm used to a slightly sweeter version, this recipe pulled it off pretty well.
I usually have longanisa pan-fried alongside a fried egg or garlic fried rice, but they stood up and tasted great on the grill. The heat of the grill added an extra crispness to the casing that first popped in my mouth, then oozed the juicy innards, which brought on these early feelings of thanksgiving.
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Posted by Blake Royer, July 3, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Maybe chili-spiked lamb sausage—better known as Merguez, a north African specialty—isn't the most patriotic thing to grill on July 4th. Your neighbors will be out there with their all-beef patties and Oscar Meyer hot dogs, looking over the fence. But the way I see it, high levels of deliciousness trumps all—and this sandwich passes the test with gusto.
The key is using a good crusty baguette, which also gets charred on the grill, making it taste fresh out of oven all over again. A quick cucumber, onion, and tomato condiment salad adds crunch, and there are two sauces to choose from: harissa, which can be store bought or blended up easily, and cumin-spiked mayonnaise (but call it cumin aioli for more raised eyebrows). The harissa is for spicier palates, while the aioli is a bit milder but still very flavorful.
D'Artagnan makes an excellent merguez sausage which is quite mild; you might also find them at a local farmer's market.
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Posted by Joshua Bousel, June 13, 2008 at 11:30 AM
On Mother's Day I was thoughtful and asked my Mom what it was she'd most like to have grilled for her, but Father's Day is a whole different beast. Even though my own father isn't much of a griller, I know that I'm destined to be the reason Hallmark produces countless grilling cards. So I thought, "What would could a son or daughter do that would both impress and make me relinquish hold of the grill?" The answer: sausage.
I don't think there's anything else in my repertoire that so consistently causes awe, but in all honesty, sausage is not all that hard to make, and the final reward far outweighs any difficulty or time. Beer Brats seemed especially fitting for Father's Day, packing almost every Father's Day cliché nicely onto a 6" hard roll. Cooking bratwurst in a bath of dark beer and onions adds the perfect slightly bitter compliment to this sweet-spiced sausage. Then, top that off with some ketchup, mustard, pickles or sauerkraut, and the whole thing just explodes with flavor with every bite. I'm not quite there yet, but I know the day one of my offspring make some of these for for me, I'm going to be one proud papa.
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Posted by Gina DePalma, February 12, 2008 at 9:00 AM
I went on a little shopping spree at the Mercato Rionale in Prati last week. The covered market is a beautiful example of the graceful, Liberty-style architecture found in this Roman neighborhood, not far from the Vatican. Inside, the aisles are lined with colorful stalls selling gorgeous produce, fresh and cured meats, seafood and handmade pasta. My bee-line led straight to a modest little stand trumpeting "Produtti Tipici di Calabria," including honey, olive oil, candies, savory biscuits, and wine, all from traditional Calabrian producers. Very nice, but I came in search of 'nduja. The good stuff, please.
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Posted by Jenn Sit, January 30, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Jambalaya
adapted from Maryana Vollstedt's The Big Book of Casseroles
- makes six servings -
Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chicken breasts
1 pound Andouille sausage
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 large can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, chopped, juice from can included
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Your favorite hot sauce to taste (I like Cholula in this recipe)
Chopped fresh parsley
Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil. Add sausage and chicken until cooked through and slightly browned. Remove to a plate. Add onion, garlic, and green pepper and saute until tender in a little more oil. Stir in rice, tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and seasonings. Return meats to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. (The dish may be made ahead up to this point and refrigerated, but bring to room temperature before baking and allow an extra 15 minutes in the oven.)
Cover the casserole and bake 35 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, November 7, 2007 at 4:30 PM
This is a grill recipe. Perhaps that’s why I picked the recipe on one of the coldest days of the fall so far. It just begs for some charcoal and a nice day. Fortunately, it will passively take the plunge under the broiler.
The author, Roy Finamore, didn’t think it necessary to give amounts for the ingredients. But I did, if just to be a little ornery. However, I didn’t think it was necessary to go into as much detail in the recipe as he did (it’s half a page!). The best part of the recipe is that it’s beyond simple with just a few ingredients, yet it puts such a different twist on the proceedings with those bay leaves.
They really lend a wonderful aroma. Fresh is apparently best, but those are hard to find. Finamore suggests a shortcut for those unfortunate souls who couldn’t find them (me!). Just soak the dried leaves in hot water for about 30 minutes. It worked just fine, even if the process takes almost twice as long as the actual recipe takes to finish!
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