Pork Sausages.

In terms of highly processed Meat to be preserved is the Sausage. Straight away I can tell you that I can not rank the huge amount of Sausages which I like or love. But what I can say is that wherever he or she is, or the multiple shes and hes who created Sausages have my hat off.

Smoked, or Cured, Cooked or Raw, encased in a skin the cylindrical Sausage can make us go all around the world by its diversity from the different aera of the globe. The techniques of doing Sausages are very ancient and traditional but different from one place to another.  Written record in cuneiform tablets were found to speak about minced Meat encased in intestine casings.

During my childhood I have never seen anyone preparing Sausages in front of me from A to Z. But I saw them being cooked, that very often. Nowadays I must confess to cook them often, or eat them cold depending on the Sausage. If I start a tasting trip down the line of my experiences with different Sausages, it could be fairly interesting.

One comes to mind which I always enjoy and makes me smile is actually the Frankfurter Sausage. I like them a lot. My mum did find them easy to cook, part boil them for eight minutes and done is the dinner for the kids served with Dijon Mustard and SaurKraut from a jar. My Ma didn't enjoy cooking very much, it was seen as a burden to her.

Straight from the pack, an easy fix me up.

However to not discredit my Mother, she cooked very well most of the time she was not flustered by her brood. And to not discredit the Frankfurter Wurster which is usually parboiled but also made of Pork enclosed in Sheep intestine casing, it is enjoyable. This Sausage can also come in bigger size or and be mixed in its casing with Beef.  If you grill the Frankfurter, griddled some sliced White Onions until caramelised, open a Sesame seeds long Bun, you can have a joly Hot Dog by putting them together. All you will need to have is the sauce, Tomato Ketchup, Mustard, both to finish it all off...

Ketchup time! Hot Dog time! TV time! Child of the eighties...

Then there was in my childhood the Saucisson Sec. Given a slice of that one to munch on was a true pleasure. It can be actually considered as both: a simple treat or a delicacy. Like the French saying tells: It is a Péché Mignon.

Le Saucisson Sec. A dry cured Sausage full of deliciouness.

Now you can eat it like that, it is so rich that you can fill your belly up just with it. Or you can do lots of things with that fatty French Dried Pork Sausage.

Slices of Saucisson Sec are perfect as a Snack.

Diced and put on a skewer along with chunks of Brie and Cornichons, it is a very rustic Appetiser. But also sliced or diced le Saucisson Sec can make a simple Salad sing just by its addition.

Salad of Saucisson Sec, White Chicory, Cherry Tomatoes, Gherkins and Parsley.  To be served with a drizzle of French Vinaigrette.

I am thinking South and North joined together in unisson. Summer and Winter joining hands to bring up Autumn: then you have a Raddichio Salad, with a Frisée Lettuce, Cherry plum tomatoes or Sundried ones, some quartered Figs and some sliced Goat Cheese then the Saucisson. A Balsamic dressing to finish the dish along with seasoning.

Red Cabbage and Boiled Eggs Pickled.

A simple dish to do if you have prepared Pickled Red Cabbages and Boiled Hard Eggs, which gives a nice purply red colour to your Eggs, which could turn into an automnal plate just as well by adding tranches of Saucisson Sec and Walnuts.

Staying with the Saucisson Sec, diced this time around...

Diced Saucisson Sec makes a nice addition to a Salad.

It could be an elevation to a large bowl of Salad to share in the middle of a table contening sliced Jersay Royal Potatoes. I prefer Roasting rather than Boiling those slices of potatoes skin on. I think it has a rustic charm somehow. For the green Leaves I tend to go for a trio of Baby Spinach for tenderness, Watercress for some pepperiness and White Chicory for the bitter crunchiness of those. Toss everything together. Finish off with Rapeseed oil, White wine and Mustard Vinaigrette, and soft Boiled Duck Eggs with that rich oozing centre.

My favourite Eggs, more blueish than most other Eggs, with a Yolk dark yellow and onctuous.

For the making of a good Saucisson Sec it relies mainly on the balance lean Meat and Fat, More for the Meat and Less for the Fat but also on Spices: the Spices used for their Curing like Salt and Saltpeter but also the Ones to give them a taste of spesciality in the order of Garlic, Peppercorn, Dried Fruits, or Nuts. Even Cheeses of the like of Roquefort are in areas of France included in the mix to make their original and outstanding.

  Very renown at the same time salty, creamy and tangy this is a gorgeous Cheese in my opinion.

Then there is the Chorizo who possess multiple varieties depending on where it was created within the world but also multiple spelling and pronounciation to refer to it and its variants. To name but two there which I tried, Chorizo Piquante and Chorizo Dolce from Spain. My preference à Moi, (Ma Preference à Moi, song de Julien Clerc ) is the Chorizo Dolce. This Sausage is made of Pork and warm with the taste of Paprika. Dolce means sweet unlike its counterpart the Chorizo Piquante which is made with Pimento or Chilli and therefore is spicier. The different Chillies used in the Chorizo but also its spices makes it, like the Saucisson, perfect for regional difference and specialities of origins.

Chorizo also comes in different length from small to long.

The colour of Chorizo is very distinctive it is a dark red usually. The spicy inside can vary slightly from one area of the globe to another. It is widely used as a Cured Cooked Meat. For it imparts flavours to any dish with its piquancy warmth upon the palate, due as I said upon Parika and/or Chilli within its composition.

Cayenne Pepper Chillies: harvest from our Garden, plenty for the year for a couple.  Those would make inside a Chorizo a Piquante one, a very spicy one for example.

Chorizo makes excellent Tapas of course: Chorizo in red wine sauce for example is quite well known and comes in a variety of different recipes to try and to serve with multiple little dishes to enjoy with friends for a relaxed evening. 

You can also sauté some slices Chorizo in a frying pan along with slices of Shallots and Garlic. Toast nice large or smart small slices of crusty Bread to pour your Chorizo sautéed mix upon the top. Drizzle of Olive Oil, a little decoration of green Padron sliced Chilli and a little chopped Parsley goes to finish for the big slice of Bread a yummy snack time, or for the smaller ones a kind of dainty Bruscetta to enjoy during a cocktail party with friends.

Padron Chillies are rather mild but it is said that you can always find one in a batch which is way spicier than the other.

Speaking of coktail parties, and using a cocktail stick, it is possible to serve a mini Chorizo whole or cut in two widtgh way. If you sliced the Chorizo you can alternate on your cocktail stick or skewer a slice of Chorizo, with a cube of Manchego Cheese, a small plump Cherry Tomato, and a slice of large pickled Gherkin. Cocktail Time, Happy time: Si Signore!

Gherkins are very handy to Jazz up something.

Or you can go all the way to Brunch and serious Lunch Brunch time with a Chorizo. Use a deep frying pan, add a little Rapeseed or Chilli Oil, then comes a chopped white Spanish Onion, and the diced Chorizo with sliced Garlic. Colour everything rather than burnt. When you do get a lovely smell from your pan add a couple of sliced roasted red Peppers, four to six chopped Tomatoes or you can go the easy way and pour a tin of chopped Tomatoes.

Tomatoes are perfect partners with many things. Their sweet and slightly acidic pulp can balance a dish.

At that moment in time, after a good couple of stirs with a wooden spatula or spoon, you can add seasoning to your dish, cracked Black Peppercorns, a pinch of Sea Salt, some Herbs, like Marjoram, or Oregano, chopped Parsley, a pinch of Paprika and a chopped Chilli. Stir again so all the flavours are infused together. Then to finish it off crack about four Eggs in the frying pan and let them fry gently but surely. If you makes little nest in your mix to receive the eggs it will be even quicker. Then you will have a very fulfilling Brunch/Lunch.

  Diced Chorizo is so versatile that it can enhance many dishes.

Thinking along the line of a nice Omelette,  with very finely sliced potatoes, a little roasted red sweet Pepper cut in slices, a little Padron Chilli, sliced, and Goat Cheese, diced, half melted within the coat of Eggs with the Chorizo cubed. You will have a very nice Lunch. Now you can add a little Onion flavour with chopped Chives, crushed peppercorn and a pinch of Salt. It is working out in the end like Frittata. But the Chorizo cubes make it sings 'Lunch, Lunch'.

For Dinner, Starter or Supper, especially in Autumn, a nice Butternut Squash Soup can enhance by a dash of Paprika and a decoration of flavoursome Chorizo diced. It is very warming during the colder days.

Butternut Squash, Chorizo and Orange Soup served with a Fougasse Bread.

You can blitz the Chorizo inside your Soup or use it as decoration, but for the favour it is better warming up the inside of the Soup. But nothing should stop you to reserve some cubed Chorizo as a garnish.

The ingredients for that warming Squash Soup. 

And like Lardons, Chorizo can lift up a Pasta dish in no time at all. Thinking within the line of Jazzing up ( Song of Claude Nougaro Le Jazz et la Java. ) if you put some diced Chorizo in a very comforting dish of Mac & Cheese prior to cooking it altogether, you will end up with a Chorizoed Mac & Cheese which is well nice. You can even go further by adding a sliced roasted sweet red Pepper (From a jar or done by you) but also a couple of table spoons of Sundried Tomato Pesto.

A little Pesto Home Made or Bought can lift up the good old Mac and Cheese and Jazz it up along with some diced Chorizo.

A handful of Sundried Tomatoes can also Jazz everything up to another level. Then you will still have your Mac & Cheese with a warming difference.

If we go back to sliced Chorizo, the Dolce one or the Piquante one, they can give a Sandwich or a lunch box a great good lift taste wise. For a Sandwich I  would go for a crusty Bread like a Baguette. Cut it in half. Rub it with Garlic Oil on both side or Olive Oil. Then fill your Bread with a bed of Raddichio, shredded if the leaves are too wide. Sliced Tomatoes goes next. A little seasonning Salt and Pepper, Marjoram or Oregano, then put the sliced Chorizo upon it all.

Sausages which have to be cooked, roasted or grilled upon the BBQ has been in the culture of many. Now a sausage is different as I said beforehand all around the world. Some use Beef, some use Pork, some use Chicken, some use a mix of Meat and some use Veg.

But we mustn't forget that what makes the content of a Sausage come together and special is its Spices or and Herbs. For example the Toulouse Sausage is perfect for a good Cassoulet: a dish made of beans and sausages which is comforting more than lavish. It does fill you up alright.

Toulouse Sausages. You can prick them with a fork to release juices out of them to build up a sauce.

To make a Cassoulet, the origin of the word comes from 'Casserole' the wide terracotta pan it is traditionally made in, you will need to start with your White Beans. If you use the Beans of Tarbes, the original town for those Beans, you will have to soak them overnight. The Cassoulet is a very ancient recipe reported in Roman Times, so let us say Antiquity but by its fulfilling nature it did remain through times... In Medieval ages, it was a dish of the poor which was loved in the Languedoc (South of France). For a bit of history 'Langue' means Tongue or Language, and Oc means Occidental. The Northen part of France spoke the langue of OI.

The White Beans used can also be Butter Beans or Cannellini Beans.

Then after your dry White Beans are soaked, you can build up your Cassoulet. Rind of Pork goes in, a confit leg of duck, and chopped Belly of pork and the Lardons... Afterwards you can put your Goose fat, then your Beans and all the aromatics ( Onion, Garlic, Tomatoes, Thyme, Black Peppercorn, Sea Salt, Cloves, Celery, Carrot, Bay leaves, Bouquet Garni). Cover with a decent Chicken Stock all the ingredients then reduce for an hour and a half. Pour more Stock in whilst you add more Meat in, which you will have roasted for fifteen minutes, the Chopped Toulouse Sausages, Pork Ribs and four Confit Duck legs on top. Consider the Cassoulet like a Stew, leave it to be flavoursome for hours (1 hour on a half more on the stove, it is a simmer not a rush and all about flavour). Then you can finish it in the oven to get a slight crust. Finish it with chopped Parsley and serve. You can feed your Cassoulet like a Risotto, with Chicken Stock all the way thoughout, but also with Red Wine or a little Red Wine Vinegar ( But remember of the 3 Ts:Test, Taste and Trials). Always taste to get the right balance.

Duck Legs, yummy on their own but better in a Cassoulet.

To go to another Sausage which I enjoy I will speak about the Mortadella. This is a large Italian Sausage mainly made of Pork and with little Fat within it. It can also be made with Beef, Chicken or Turkey. The slices are very thin and can include black Peppercorn, Pistachios, or Olives. Although thin Mortadella slices could be used as little parcels once double up or as long cigarillos containing chopped delicacies like chopped Feta Cheese and chopped Sundried Tomatoes. I will not say that Mortadella consists as a main meal by all means but it can make a lovely little light snack.

Staying in Italy and America, a world wide popular Sausage is the Pepperoni. 

That's Amore From Dean Martin. 

When you see a Pepperoni in sight upon a big Pizza Pie that's Amore... The combination of Italian Craft and American Dream created the Pepperoni. The name actually means or refers to Sweet Pepper although that red Sausage is rather hot than not. It is most commonly found upon Pizzas. My Partner likes his double Pepperoni Pizza. To try to make him choose another one on a Take Away Menu, you will have to get up very early.

   Pepperoni slices are readily available in supermarkets.

The fact is that you can do many things with good old slices of Pepperoni not just only Pizza, you can think in terms of Pasta Bake or even Lasagna or a Pepperoni Croque Signore, which is a different version of the Croque Monsieur. It is a Sandwich, yes, but such that it will fill you up for the entire day. (Check the Washington Post and Bertrand Chemel for the best Sandwishes)

And then you have the Black Pudding which I must confess to like. This is  blood Sausages usually made of Pork, Pork Suet or Beef Blood, but it could be of Cow or Sheep likewise. It contains Fat but also Barley and/or Oats and Herbs/ Spices. For me Black Pudding is institutionnaly for Breakfast or Brunch, but it makes also a nice Lunch, Supper or even Dinner.

Black Pudding made of Blood is definitingly darker than other Sausages.

Like Pepperoni is not my cup my cup of Tea, Black Pudding is not the cup of Tea of my Partner so I rarely have it, however I never deprive him of Pepperoni but when he behave funny in front of a Blood Sausage I do spare him the sight of one and eat a few slices whenever he is not around. So it became a kind of a  midnight Snack for me which I still treat like a Breakfast.

Fried along with Eggs, Black Pudding works well with either Sautéed Sliced Tomatoes and Chopped Shallots (Summer) or Sautéed Mushrooms and Sliced Onions (Autumn). Seasonning and chopped Parsley go in. I do not use any Sauce usually for that dish but if I can get hand of a thick Balsamic Glaze I will use it as a drizzle over it.

Chestnut Mushrooms marry well  with Black Pudding. But a variety of Mushrooms will give that Brunch an Autumnal feel to it.

For a rich Brunch why not go for the Potato Rosti way. It is filling, I would say, but also useful when you do not know when you will have your next meal when you have a busy day ahead of you. Grated Potatoes are easy enough to form into a Rosti. One thing you must remember is to drain the excess moisture with a linen cloth then to reapply it to the Rosti but in small quatity as you form it to keep it moist with starch but not too loose so that the Potato Rosti remains entirely in a flat circle within the Frying Pan. A nice addition to the making of the Rosti is Seasoning (Salt and Pepper but also Chopped Curly Parsley)

 Although Flat leaves Parsley is usually mainly used for its Flavour and Curly One for decoration, I did find Curly Parsley easier to grow rather than the Flat leaves variety. It took me time to find the right place in my garden for Flat leaves Parsley to grow. It was trial after trial almost every year but eventually I did find the spot where it will grow. Above is my Curly Parsley.

 From this little shop bought pot of Flat leaf Parsley I have been able at long last to establish my outdoor one but as I said it took time. But never give up at the first hurdle. 

To return to the recipe the aim of the game is to build little stack or tower. You can fry your Rosti in the same Frying pan as your thick slice of Black Pudding. Turn on occasion to prevent sticking or burning but you want it crispy on the edges however not dry in the middle. During that time you can poach the Egg. I tend to use a Duck Egg in this instance to keep on the luscious feel of that Brunch. Rosti comes first on the plate then the fried Black Pudding on top of it. Last but not least the Poached Eggs is added to the stack. A little decorating with some green aka the Parsley in this instance finsishes everything off.  I will say that a sauce is not necessary again but a little Chutney of Tomatoes can go along well to accompany the rest of a Potato Rosti.

Tomatoes Chutneys cut trough the heavyness of a Potato Rosti and Black Pudding. It gives the all Brunch a waking up call. It is like a ZING! Ring, Sing, you are up Baby, ready for work...

I will do the same dish for Lunch to be honest but let me introduce you to a Salad which is plated cold and warm at the same time. Black Pudding is of course the star of the show. This Salad has more a Winter aspect to it. For the colder days this one is made for. First you will need Chicory Leaves, half of them left crunchy and half of them part boiled and softer therefore less bitter. You can arrange them on a plate or in a large sharing Salad bowl to put in the middle of the table.

  Chicory Crunchy is more bitter raw than when it is when it is Cooked. 

Crumble Black Pudding on top of your Chicory leaves. Now you can either add Sautéed Lardons into your Winter Salad or fried some Hickory Smoked Bacon and cut it into little bits/ squares to go in. For acidity pickled Walnuts will work well. But fresh Walnuts can give the benefit of texture to the Salad. I dare say what would be wrong with a little bit of both?

The Addition of Home Made Croutons can provide this Winter Salad a lift of Texture.

Last but not least for a bit of colour, partly Cooked Red Cabbage will provide another welcome taste on the plate. If you want to be lavish, the Winter Salad will be reaching another level with wedges of Apple of your choice. (I would recommand  a Sweet and Sharp variety on that one like a Braeburn Apple). Finish off with a Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing with a tiny bit of Wholegrain Mustard inside it. There you will have a very decent Lunch to tuck into. 

Apples can give a sweet and sharp note to a dish. Knowing of their different varieties, at least a little, does help cooking wise. Dealing with Black Pudding, a sharp but sweet apple can cut the pudding... Forgive me the pun.

Then there was the Supper. What can you do with Black Pudding for a Supper? James Martin did find a luxurious yet simple combination which is nice to try (again and again... and again...) a Celeriac Soup with a decoration of Black Pudding and three lovely Seared Scallops per bowl. As a pairing ingredient Scallops and Black Pudding work well. It is a bit of surf and turf in a soup bowl. Catch the wave!

Catch a Wave from the Beach Boys.

Scallops and Black Pudding are a Marriage made in Heaven. Catch a wave: Surf and Turf . The Sweet yet Meaty Scallop meeting the earthiness of the Black Pud is truly surfing a wave of balance of taste. 

To speak of another Sausage, the White Pudding otherwise known as the Boudin Blanc in French, there is also plenty of versions of it. It is fairly popular in the Celtic areas of the world rather than anywhere else apart from Nova Scotia and the Eastern part of Canada and Northern part of America. Living in England this Sausage is hard to find in a lot of supermarket.

It is made without Blood unlike Black Pudding. Oats, Barley, Beef, Veal, Chicken can be found in its composition. But as I said it varies from one place to another. It is considered more delicate than Black Pudding. However it can be treated in a similar way. However if you come across recipes with White Pudding, they are more than likely to have an acidity element or an added spicy one to make it sing the A'Capella.'

Making it Sing. A recipe. 

Nutmeg can be one of the Spices used for the Boudin Blanc which is mainly used during the Festive season for its silkiness. Eggs or Milk can find themselves in the composition of this Sausage making it a smooth affair. White Meat is mainly use to create a white Sausage: Pork or Chicken. A Charcuterie in Paris insists on Belly of Pork to get the best quality for a Boudin Blanc.

A thick Cream (Creme Fraiche, or Double Cream) is used for the conception of the Boudin to render it smooth and silky.

To be honest Belly of Pork is one nice cut of Meat to keep a Boudin Blanc moist rather than dry.

For recipe ideas, a Boudin Blanc can make a more refine Sausage rolls option for Cocktail parties. Make them Mini Bite size encased in Puff pastry. Give your Cocktail mini Bites a glow with a brush of Egg yolk on the Pastry. A tiny bit of flavour with each small White Boudin Blanc Sausage Roll having a tea spoon rub of Dijon Mustard inside the Pastry, and a little chopped Parsley or chopped Chervil goes in as well. Then enjoy a little difference for your Sausage Rolls...

Another use is for Dinner as a couple or by yourself, three White Puddings each, sliced and rendered, served with Sautéed Leeks, within a Mushroom Velouté. It is a delicious Soup by all means which you can finish off with Truffle shavings and the good old crack of crushed Peppercorn.

Baby Leeks suit this recipe. Sliced, and Sautéed in salted Butter they are a lovely addition to this Velouté. They add flavour as well as style.

There is another number you can do with those White Sausages: A Terrine. It means pulling out the content of them to make a show stopper. Now the content is velvety and delicious already. However nothing is stopping you to add to it: Pickled Mushrooms for acidity (1), Sliced Spring Onions (2) and a good wrapping within a bowl to be set in a fridge to consolidate the Terrine of Boudin Blanc mixture inside a wrap of fancy Mortadella. 

 

Our next Sausage is the Salami. Cured and Dried the Salami is keeping for up to forty days in a dry environment. It is usually made of Pork and Seasoning but can be made with Beef or Mutton for religious reason mainly. Sliced thinly, Salami is versatile. It can make a great Sandwich within a crusty Bread, some sliced Tomatoes, a nice Pesto and slices or shaving of Gruyere Cheese.

Salami slices with Fennel Seeds and Black Peppercorn.

Salami can also be included in Pasta dishes for a bit of Protein. It also makes on its own a very lovely Antipasti. Join it with Gherkins quartered up until their base almost to look like flowers.