sausage

Sault Ste Marie Hot & Sweet Breakfast Sausage

Nick, my husband’s Canadian coworker, is rapidly becoming a favorite and preferred contributor to Sadie’s Nest. I’ve told you before about the great support I receive from my husband’s colleagues. It’s awesome. This is the second recipe Nick has passed along. (The first is a bread recipe which I have yet to post… Some of you know my mental angst with my bread making skills.) Not only did he give step-by-step instructions for the sausage, but he sent pictures! And btw, it’s really delicious. I love this simple spicy and sweet breakfast sausage, but not nearly as much as I love Nick’s description, “Enjoy with a loved one. Goes with anything: coffee, red wine, white wine, gin and tonic, beer, eggs, homefries, can also have for breakfast, lunch, supper, snack.” How can I beat that? Brilliant. Thank you Nick!

3.3 lbs (1.5 KG) hot italian sausage
1/4 cup Fennel
2/3 cup Maple Syrup
Remove sausage from wrapping. (I used a knife… Nick used scissors… Whatever works for you!)

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Add fennel (adjust amount as you like)

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Add syrup.

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Mix by hand.

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Make a ball about size of a baseball. (I laughed really hard at this instruction.)

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Put 3 in a large frypan at med heat.

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Cook for 1 min, flip, flatten with spatula for faster cooking.

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Cook for 5 minutes, flip and cook for 5 minutes more.

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Move to a plate and let sit for a few minutes.

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Enjoy with a loved one. Goes with anything: coffee, red wine, white wine, gin and tonic, beer, eggs, homefries, can also have for breakfast, lunch, supper, snack… I enjoyed mine with a large slice of raw milk organic cheddar and a biscuit. It was stellar.

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Thanks again Nick!

Pantry Black Bean & Sausage Soup

Sometimes you have to rely on what you’ve got. It was one of those times, when this soup was born. Then my family asked for it again. And again. Et Voilà, a family recipe! All you need is a chilly evening, hungry people and a good loaf of crusty bread. There are few ingredients, so quality matters. (Get good Kielbasa! Use good stock!) Honestly, it’s almost embarrassingly easy, but if my family loves it this much, well then:

As organic as possible:

2 1/2 cups Chicken stock

2 Kielbasa sausages, about 12 oz each

4 – 15 oz. cans Black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 tsp dried Onion

1/2 tsp granulated Garlic

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp dried Thyme

1 Bay Leaf

Rinse and drain your beans. Set aside.

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Cut the Kielbasa into bite sized pieces.

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Add the stock, spices, dried herbs, beans and Kielbasa to a pot. Stir.

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Simmer for about 25 minutes, until the flavors are married. Taste for seasoning, add more salt or pepper as you’d prefer. Serve with crusty bread.

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Enjoy this happy face.

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Biscuits & Gravy

I love a hearty breakfast, weekend or weekday. Anyone who knows me can attest to that. You know that line on Gone With the Wind when Scarlett says something to the effect of “Ashley told me he likes a girl with a healthy appetite.” And Mammy says “What gentlemen says and what they thinks is two different things.” I don’t know why that reminds me of me eating breakfast. It really has nothing to do with biscuits and gravy. But the amount of them I can put down in the morning is impressive. Or is it that it just feels that way when you’re finished? Regardless, I love that feeling. Comfort food at it’s finest. They’re so good! Don’t judge me.

As organic as possible:

1 pound Spicy ground pork breakfast Sausage (*you can do any ground breakfast sausage)

3 Tbsp flour

2 1/2 – 3 cups milk divided (whole or 2%)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp granulated onion

8-10 Biscuits, baked to golden perfection (homemade or store bought)

In a large skillet, brown the sausage. If you didn’t use spicy sausage (which is highly recommended), I suggest adding a few red pepper flakes. I just love how the heat cuts through the gravy and gives it a little depth. When the meat is browned, there should be a little fat left in the skillet. Add the flour and let it cook a couple minutes. Pour in about 1 cup of the milk, stirring gently until it starts to thicken, add about 1 1/2 cups more. Add the salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your preference. (Side note: I usually add more black pepper because I like to see the flecks on the top. It’s totally a childhood thing.)

If you find the gravy is too thick for your liking add another 1/2 cup of milk. If it’s not thick enough add a teaspoon of flour… gravy can be so forgiving.

Here’s where it gets personal. I have another childhood habit of tearing my biscuit into pieces and spooning the gravy on the top. Some people keep their biscuits whole and spoon the gravy on like snow on a mountain.  Owen likes to cut his biscuit in half (horizontally) and place the gravy on both halves. As far as I’m concerned there is no right or wrong way (or amount 😉 ). Just enjoy yourself one of life’s simple pleasures.

Dad’s Sausages

Ok, many of you may know these as cocktail sausages. I think often people use Vienna style sausages. But when I have these little round beauties I can’t think of anyone else but my dad. The smell of these cooking for almost every special gathering is like synonymous with holiday cheer. They are extremely easy to make. I mean at it’s technical height its about not cutting the meat too thin (because it shrinks as it cooks), while not making it too hunky to eat in one bite. You could make your own chili sauce (and I have) but that’s not dad’s recipe. And who can’t use a simple and tasty appetizer when hosting a gathering?

1 pound cooked sausage such as Dearborn Holiday Sausage (Kielbasa), sliced in rounds about 1/2″ thick

1 – 12 oz bottle chili sauce (such as Heinz)

*Can be easily double, tripled, quadrupled…

Place all ingredients in a crockpot on high for about 3 hours or on the stove top at a simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. When the sauce has reduced (thick and sticky) and sausages are loaded with flavor, serve retro cocktail party style with toothpicks. Stay Classic.

Aunt Lynn’s Cheesy Egg & Sausage Casserole

A classic breakfast egg and cheese casserole dish has to be in every mom’s recipe box. Thankfully Aunt Lynny gave me hers! It’s morning comfort food. And it makes your kitchen smell like love. This dish is great for weekends and I have fond memories of it making an appearance on the Christmas buffet at Gram’s. It’s versatile, so you can substitute the sausage for cubed ham, change around the cheese, add green or red pepper… mix it up as you please.

As organic as possible:

10 eggs, beaten

8 oz shredded cheese

3-4 slices bread, cubed small

1 lb pork sausage, browned and drained

1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 X 9 baking dish and set aside. Add browned sausage to beaten eggs in a large bowl, add cheese (I used cheddar and Emmentaler), bread, and milk. Pour mixture into greased pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until center is firm.

Sweet Italian Sausage Pasta

We love pasta. We have it so often we should be Italian. This dish is so flavorful and easy to make. If you’ve never made your own sauce before, this recipe is a great start. The garlic infused tomato-basil sauce practically makes itself.

Serves 6

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

12 oz Sweet Italian Sausages

5-6 cloves garlic minced

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 + 1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

Freshly cracked pepper

28 oz crushed tomatoes (with basil preferred)

1 lb penne pasta

1 Tbsp salt

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan plus more for topping

1 Tbsp fresh basil chiffonade, rolled then sliced (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the sausages and brown on all sides (all possible sides, as sometimes they curl up loosely like the letter U). Remove the sausages and set aside on a cutting board. Place the garlic into the skillet and let cook about 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and sugar to the sautéed garlic, stir; scraping any sausage and/or garlic from the bottom of the pan and into the sauce. Add oregano, basil and pepper (just a sprinkling). Stir and let simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally. Let the flavors fuse and develop about 15 -20 minutes. In the mean-time, in a pot, bring water to boil and add about a tablespoon of salt. Cook pasta according to package directions, without need to strain the pasta in a colander. (Side note: if you haven’t seasoned your pasta water before, you should start now. When your noodles are seasoned in their own right, it just makes the whole dish better.)

While pasta is cooking, add your crushed tomatoes and teaspoon of sugar to the simmering tomato sauce and stir. Tomatoes are usually salty, but taste for seasoning in case any herbs or salt and pepper need to be adjusted. Let the flavors come together. While you waiting for your pasta to cook and sauce to fuse, cut the sausages on a diagonal angle. Add the sausages to the pasta sauce and gently stir. Then (timing this correctly) turn off the heat to the sauce, and lift the cooked pasta out of the boiling water and add to the skillet of sauce and sausages. Gently toss the pasta and let it start to absorb all of the sausage and garlic infused tomato flavor. Then add the grated Parmesan, stirring gently, watch it melt into being part of the sauce. Move the pasta to a large pasta bowl or platter (or right in the skillet if you prefer, I won’t judge), sprinkle with a little more grated cheese on the top and basil. Serve family style. Buon appetito!

Jambalaya -Mine

Ok, so I don’t know about your family, but mine isn’t big on seafood (it’s a work in progress). So this is Jambalaya sans (without) the seafood, but to the purists out there, you’re going to love it! …And if you must, think of it as awesome beans and rice… And to gluten forgoers this recipe works for you too, (just check your sausages)!

Serves 6

As organic as possible…

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion diced

3-4 garlic cloves minced

1 15 oz can diced tomato (or jar of salsa)

8 oz andouille sausage (I like chicken andouille) cut into bite sized pieces

16 oz smoked sausage cut into bite sized pieces

1 15 oz can red beans (drained and rinsed)

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili powder

t tsp cumin

3/4 cup dry rice

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1 Bay Leaf

salt & pepper to taste

Heat Oil. Saute onions and garlic. Add tomato, and scrape the yummy bottom bits! Add sausages, broth and spices. Stir and bring to simmer. Add rice and stir; this is a great recipe to use brown rice because it is so flavorful and colorful your picky eaters won’t know the difference.) Add beans, salt & pepper to taste (I do about 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of freshly cracked pepper.) Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally, about 25-45 minutes depending on type of rice (brown takes longer). Take off the heat and discard bay leaf. Let cool slightly before serving.

Side note: Sometimes I add green/yellow pepper depending on what I have… It looks pretty 😉