Potato and Leek Soup with Sausage

I have been reading my new vegetable cookbook again. Well, I didn't really stop, I have just been trying to take my time and savor each recipe and story as I make my way through it. It is so refreshing to read about cooking from the viewpoint of the home gardener, a union that is surprisingly rarely explored. I was reading, determining that I should try a new vegetable every couple of weeks or so, as I really don't use many of the Chinese vegetables, and quite a few roots I don't think I have even tried, when I stumbled upon something

A matter of taste

I think its funny how your tastes change as you age. When I was young I loved mayonnaise, sausage, over-easy eggs, and ham and cheese sandwiches with ungodly amounts of mustard (only the sandwiches had mustard). I liked American cheese slices, hard boiled eggs on my salads, plain tuna, and well-done steak. When I was a little older, I didn't like mayo, sausage, over-easy eggs or very much mustard. Then it changed, and I liked them again. I still don't care for American cheese, hard boiled eggs (unless their deviled), plain tuna or well done steak. A few things, I didn't like as a child and I still don't like today, like cottage cheese. I think its my nemesis. For whatever reason I just can't stand the texture.
Lately, I have been having a renewed affair with sausage. I purchased some Evergood Louisiana style hot links and stashed them in the freezer. They are great fried up and tossed with spaghetti, butter, and parmesan cheese for a quick and easy dinner. I also like them cut up and scrambled with eggs and potatoes for breakfast burritos, or just a skillet-type breakfast.

Another easy dinner, that I had completely forgotten about, is chicken and sausage. You put some mixed chicken parts in a pan with sausage, add some onions, mustard, salt and pepper, and roast for about an hour. You can fix up a side while its in there cooking, and its very flavorful and absolutely delicious. I used Aidells chicken and apple sausage (really flavorful and delicious) and some chicken thighs I had in the freezer. I think this is great with Jasmine rice, or mashed potatoes. Its also nice if you have a big family, or you are having guests, because its so hands-off but you can double it and feed a crowd. The skins get nice and crispy, and so do the sausages. My boys (husband included) couldn't get enough. I will definitely be making this again, soon.

Sage Chicken and Sausages
serves 6
2 small onions
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon or deli style mustard
1 Tablespoon dried sage
pepper
salt
1 lemon
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 lbs chicken, cut into 8 pieces
6 sausages (as previously mentioned I think these are great)
2 Tablespoons chopped sage leaves

Combine oil, mustard, dried sage, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, the lemon juice (save the squeezed out rinds) and the Worcestershire. Peel and cut the onion into eighths, and place that, along with the squeezed out lemon rinds and the chicken, skin side up, in a large baking dish and pour over the marinade. Set at room temperature for 45 mins (or, you can put it all in the pan and leave it for a few hours in the fridge or overnight).
Preheat the oven to 425. Add the sausages and sprinkle on the chopped sage leaves, and salt and pepper the chicken. Cook for 1 hour, 15 minutes, turning the sausages over halfway through to color them evenly.

(If your not a big fan of sausages, you could just leave them out. The dish is still delicious.)

This is also absolutely amazing  grilled. You can take it with you to a cookout or camping, and it is a flavorful alternative to hamburgers or ordinary BBQ chicken. Just combine all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator until about 30 minutes before grill time!

Sage, Spicy, Sweet

About half a year ago, I decided it would be much cheaper if we purchased our meat in large quantities once a year and divided it up for storage in our large freezer. Many butchers will cut your meat to order, i.e., buy a pork loin and you can get two roasts and two dozen chops. The cost is minimal compared to buying these items individually. It was around this time that I had purchased a pork shoulder, and my husband had given me a meat grinder for Christmas, so it was only natural for me to make sausage. I had used the other half of the shoulder to make this fantastic braised pork shoulder with fennel, and as the remaining half sat in the freezer, I began fantasizing about what I should do with it. I decided it should be sausage. At the incredible prices you pay for sausage, and the amount of sausage I use, I figured I would save some money. I told my plan to my husband (it seems like I always have plans) and began thinking about the types of sausage I would make.
A few weeks later, I still hadn't made the sausage, and we were in a hotel watching TV (we don't have cable...for some strange reason my husband thinks I would spend too my time watching the Food Network...hmmmm) so, I was watching Emeril's show, and guess what he was making...sausage! I was so excited! I decided to try his recipe, for Mild Italian Sausage. I also made sage, which I use when I make stuffing, and hot, which is a favorite for biscuits and gravy. They were amazing and delicious! I still can't believe I made them and they turned out that good. And it was so incredibly easy!
For grinding the meat, you can use a KitchenAid attachment, which you can also use to grind your own hamburger mixes (that way you know exactly what's in there), or a counter top grinder. If you have neither, you can cut the meat by hand. It is very tedious, and will not be as uniform as a grinder.

Each of these recipes makes three pounds. Be sure you have the right amount when you start, and be sure to test each type you make by frying it up and tasting it. Salt is very important here as it brings the flavors together.
Mild Italian Sausage Recipe
(note: ground anise seeds are the same as fennel seeds. You can use a mortar and pestle to grind the fennel seeds for the ground anise the recipe calls for. To toast seeds, just put them in a pan on the stove top on medium low heat, stirring constantly, until you smell them.)

For the sage sausage, I used a Tablespoon each of salt and pepper, and simply added a Tablespoon of powdered sage and 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh sage.

For the hot sausage, I used a Tablespoon each of salt and pepper, 2 teaspoons cayenne, 2 teaspoons chili pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons chipotle powder (you can find it at World Market), 2 teaspoons paprika, and 2 teaspoons chili powder. Taste the sausage and adjust the seasonings. I added more, because we like ours very hot.

I divided the sausage into 1-lb portions and wrapped them in plastic wrap, then labeled them for storage in the freezer.

Thoughts of Pizza

The recipe that I want to tell you all about right now is one of those things that someone just told me how to make.

There is a woman I have known for about twelve years who is a fantastic cook. She has inspired me to make so many different dishes. As a teenager growing up I remember going to her house and there was always food. I decided then and there I wanted to be like her. I have tasted her food over the years and I find myself asking over and over again, "How did you make that?". Hers was the first cheesecake I tried and the recipe I am writing about today I had for the first time at her house.

We start with pizza dough. I will include a recipe for homemade pizza dough, which I like to make and divide in half and freeze one half for later. You then cook up some Italian sausage (I use spicy) add lots of garlic and some spinach. I put mozzarella in it, but my friend doesn't. Sometimes I serve it with marinara for dipping. She uses frozen spinach, but I prefer fresh. Now, when you read about this you will probably think, 'what's the big deal?' It is a big deal. It is absolutely amazing and delicious. There is never a scrap left over. My sister who is not a big veggie person gets excited when I tell her I am going to make it. My sons eat it and my husband gorges himself every time we have it (seriously).
You have to try it.

Spicy Italian Sausage Pizza Roll
1/2 recipe pizza dough (recipe follows)
1/2 lb spicy sausage (Jimmy Dean Hot is good)
10 cloves minced garlic
1 bunch of spinach, washed, trimmed and chopped
1 cup grated mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Saute sausage in a pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil if you need to. Once the sausage is browned and broken into small pieces add the garlic. Cook for about two minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the spinach. Cook for 2 or 3 more minutes, or until the spinach is completely wilted.
Roll out the pizza dough into a square, and spread the sausage mixture evenly around. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella over the sausage. Roll up the dough on the long side, tucking the dough as you roll. Place on a baking stone and put stone on the middle rack of the oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until you can knock on the dough and it is firm. The crust should be brown.

Pizza dough recipe