Salsiccia with braised tomatoes & garlic #159

Great salsiccia is always a special treat, usually I try to keep it simple since the salsiccia has loads of flavor I think it goes best with simple things. Here I roasted the salsiccia on low heat until done then roasted some garlic and tomato paste in the fat that gets left in the pan, add a bit of white wine, a bay leaf and some fresh small tomatoes. If you get some small pieces of salsiccia left over you can leave it in the sauce as well. Then just slow cook for about one hour and you´re done.

I got my salsiccia imported from Italy, that´s great but if you have a local butcher or shop that happens to make their own sausages then they usually have their own, if so then get theirs since it´s always more fun to support your local shops then buying the imported stuff.

Salsiccia with braised tomatoes & garlic

Italian fresh salsiccia (or similar with the same flavor profile)
bay leaf
water
tomato paste
chives
garlic
white wine
chives
olive oil
small whole tomatoes
salt, pepper

On low heat fry the salsiccia until golden and cooked trough, then add chopped garlic, a little bit of olive oil, tomato paste and a few small pieces of salsiccia. Let it roast for a few minutes. Add white wine, a little bit of water and the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and then leave to simmer on low to medium heat for about one hour. Season if necessary, then reheat the salsiccia and slice, serve with a spoonful of sauce and some of the tomatoes and some sliced chives.

Chorizo with white polenta & roasted red peppers #136

White polenta is just what it sounds like, white polenta. The taste and texture are the same but I think you can get really nice colors if you combine the white polenta with something colorful. I cooked the polenta in a light chicken stock and added some Parmesan before serving. Fried fresh chorizo and some peppers gives the dish some more flavor and using some of the fat from the chorizo when serving gives the polenta great contrast.

It´s very easy to start adding green herbs and other stuff to a dish like this and of course there is nothing wrong in doing so but I think it looks really nice to just use these two colors and keeping it very simple, your choice.

Chorizo with white polenta & roasted red peppers

fresh Spanish chorizo
red peppers
white polenta
light chicken stock
salt, pepper
Parmesan cheese

Bring the chicken stock to a boil together with some water and a few drops of olive oil, add the polenta and let it simmer for half an hour on low heat. Keep adding water and stock if necessary (it will be necessary because polenta seems to be able to hold an insane amount of water), season the polenta with salt, pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.

Slice the chorizo and dice the red peppers in big chunks, fry them together on low heat until heavily roasted. Roasting them on low heat makes the chorizo release a lot of it´s fat and it will give the peppers a smoky very powerful chorizo flavor.

Serve the polenta in a small bowl, put the peppers and chorizo on top and add a few drops of the now dark red fat from the pan.

Salsiccia with cannelini beans and fresh basil #96

Salsiccia with cannelini beans and fresh basil

salsiccia
canned cannelini beans
basil
olive oil
salt, pepper
garlic

Fry the salsiccia in a pan on medium heat until cooked through. Remove the salsiccia and chop garlic and add to the pan, slowly roast the garlic in the fat that stays in the pan after it´s been fried. When the garlic starts to brown add the canned beans and a few leafs of basil. Let the beans simmer for about ten minutes. Crush the beans with the backside of a spoon into a rough puré. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the salsiccia and serve with the beans and a few extra leafs of basil and a few drops of olive oil. Good luck.

Nürnberger sausage with fennel coleslaw & mustard #70

The Nürnberger sausage is a small almost white German sausage that dates back all the way to 1313. It´s usually small and you´ll need to serve three or four of them for a main course. I usually serve them together with other meats as well like roasted chicken or with other sausages. Since it´s small in size it´s great to serve as a tapas.

The Nürnberger is protected be EU-law and it must be produced in Nürnberg to have to right to be called a Nürnberger, but don´t worry this recipe works with most sausages with a good pork taste.

Nürnberger sausage with fennel coleslaw & mustard

Nürnberger sausages
mayonnaise
fennel
lemon juice
salt, pepper
cracked mustard seeds

With a potato peeler shave the fennel into thin slices, add a few drops of lemon juice and mayonnaise, combine and season with salt and pepper.

Fry the sausages in a pan, serve a spoonful of coleslaw with one sausage and sprinkle with cracked mustard seeds.