There are many reasons and benefits of making your own sausages, not the least of which is the enjoyment of the process. Grinding the meats and other ingredients and seeing the casings steadily grow as the stuffing is extruded from the filler funnel is very satisfying. It's primal; it's mad-scientist; it's fun and … [Read more...]
DANDELION SAUSAGES WITH VEAL
Oh the thrill of foraging, collecting nature's bounty and living off the fat of the land. The gemutlich platters of hand-crafted sausages dipped in spiced mustards of one's own creation. The only thing that can possibly add to all this joy is "There's no place like home," which is the case here in this recipe for dandelion sausages … [Read more...]
LONZA: ORIGNAL GOURMET RECIPE
Though you've often heard me rail against food-fads I confess I too have feet of clay. The siren song of the abattoir compounded by sibling rivalry instigated by my brother Kevin's Christmas triumph of home-cured and smoked bacon, grilled over hot colds in thick, sizzling slices was too much … [Read more...]
ST. PATRICK’S DAY SAUSAGE: CORNED BEEF, CABBAGE, POTATOES, CARROTS
Corned Beef and cabbage, potatoes and carrots: St. Patrick's Day on a plate, reimagined and reinvented with this original recipe for St. Patrick's Day Sausages. Before setting out, consultation with the parents was in order. We got on the horn for an "ideation session" -- my office's preferred euphemism … [Read more...]
TURDUCKEN SAUSAGE: ORIGINAL GOURMET RECIPE
Until now I'd thought that the monster that is Turducken (a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken) sprang fully-formed from the head of Chef Paul Prudhomme, a Zeus and Athena kind of thing. Probably due to the go go days of ragin' Cajun cuisine, when everything was blackened-this, Zydeco-that, and we cared about the difference … [Read more...]
VENISON QUESADILLA — ORIGINAL RECIPE SSD#3
Tortilla + cheese + heat = Quesadilla. Pretty hard to get yourself in trouble with this equation. Of course few people stop at cheese only. Peppers, salsa, chorizo, scallions, avocado, lobster... anything goes -- Wheee! Still, this particular venison quesadilla recipe is a little bit renegade. Unexpected and unquestionably Simply … [Read more...]
DENNIS’S VENISON: ORIGINAL RECIPE
Who's Dennis? Sullivan brother #3, avid angler and hunter. And generous as evidenced by this choice venison backstrap from the 250 lb. doe he felled in the woods of Missouri. Dennis gets star billing for this roast venison not only as provider of the feast; his experienced advice for seasoning the game and roasting time was invaluable. It's … [Read more...]
DUCK TWO WAYS — RARE AND RAGU: ORIGINAL GOURMET RECIPE
Duck breast is irresistible simply seared and served rare. And it's also so delicious as a luxuriously rich and hearty ragu partnered with chewy, rustic pasta. If a fair world, one wouldn't have to choose. Hence I took it upon myself to unite these glories in this recipe for Duck Two Ways, where rare … [Read more...]
PHEASANT UNDER GLASS
As I high tail it out of the city by the bay, I'm leaving behind the morel-laden lusciousness of my Pheasant Under Glass recipe. They like fancy mushrooms out here (freshly foraged, of course), the odd fowl (wish I could name-drop a Petaluma farmer lovingly raising some obscure heritage breed, but I can't. Can you?), and the town does share my penchant … [Read more...]
CRISP BREAST OF DUCK JULIE ANNE: AN ORIGNAL GOURMET RECIPE
This recipe leapt off the page from the the An American Place cookbook. Crisp duck skin, delicious as it is, isn't a much of a culinary mystery. But the technique in this recipe -- rendering the fat, leaving the meat nice a rosy red and getting a 100% enjoyable crispiness to the skin, sounded, well not too good to be true, because it sounds so sensible. But the method … [Read more...]