By Gini Rainey
Today’s blog entry was written by my “Guest Writer” who, every so often, sends something along to me that is press worthy. Today’s blog is pretty darn good!
Why did the chicken cross the road? So he could be a part of today’s feature dish, Capellini with Sausage, Lemon and Basil. But, I’m getting ahead of myself; I’ll deal with that bird in a moment.
Today, I’m reviewing Flying Sausages, Flying Sausages, written by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly and published in 1995 by Chronical Books, is a very interesting cookbook about how to make fresh poultry sausages and all the things that you can do with them. “Wait a second,” I can hear you now – “my Uncle Frank used to make sausage; it was a messy affair with lots of grinding and stuffing and meat hanging in a cooler for months.” Nope, that was your Uncle Frank and his cured pork – this is completely different. For one thing, Frank’s sausages required the use of nitrate curing salts, then stuffing into casing and drying for weeks or months. The chicken and turkey sausages described here are fresh; you’ll just mix uncooked ground chicken (buy it pre-ground or you can do it in your food processor) with fresh herbs. These can be used as-is (made into patties or balls) or stuffed into sausage casings. Your fresh sausages can be frozen or used immediately. Either fresh turkey or chicken can be used in any of these recipes; turkey give a slightly deeper flavor.
Flying Sausages leads off with descriptions and directions to make seven basic styles of poultry sausages that are used in the ensuing recipes. These include Southwest Green Chile (ground chicken seasoned with cumin, chili powder, cayenne, cilantro, onions and jalepeño – woudn’t that be good with migas or in tacos?), Italian style (sun dried tomatoes, fennel, wine and garlic), a North Mediterranean Arabic style (with lots of garlic, turmeric, paprika, lemon zest, and mint) and a highly seasoned Chinese Black Mushroom style (an abundance of hot pepper, mushrooms, sesame oil, soy, garlic and green onion).
One of these is the Italian Sun-Dried Tomato Sausage. Chicken sausages have been made in Italy for generations, and the variety of cooking styles and foods available along the length of the country mean that their sausages, too, take on different flavors. There’s no absolute recipe for this; feel free to experiment and add ingredients that your family prefers. In the north of Italy, aromatic spices, garlic and white wine flavor a more delicate sausage than is found in the south, where tomatoes, red pepper, red wine and a tablespoon of Romano cheese make a perfect accompaniment for a heavy red sauce and pasta. We’re going to make a style from North Italy, then show how it’s used in a light, Springtime lemony pasta dish. When you read through this recipe, you’ll realize how easy it is to put together:
Northern Italian-Style Sausage With Sun-Dried Tomatoes
3 ½ lbs raw ground chicken or turkey (preferably thigh meat, ground with skin)
½ cup white wine
½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
3 Tablespoons chopped garlic
2 Tablespoons fennel seed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoons sugar
If you’re grinding your own meat, pulse chunks in a food processor until roughly chopped. Add remaining ingredients to the chopped poultry in a large tub or bowl and thoroughly mix with your hands. Form golf ball sized meatballs or patties, freeze or use immediately.
Here’s another recipe that uses the delicious fresh sausage mixture. This is a light, Spring or Summer-inspired dish, where the fennel and tomato flavors in the sausage perfectly match the delicate lemon and basil of the sauce. Use any type of light pasta – capellini (Italian for “little hairs”) as here, or its slightly thinner version, “capelli d’angelo,” which is – you guessed it, ‘angel hair.’ Pair this with a crisp, chilled white wine for classic Northern Italian lunch. Also – any type of “store-bought” chicken sausage can be substituted for the home-made recipe above, but I encourage you to try your hand at the sausage-making, too and take ownership of the entire dish!
Capellini with Sausage, Lemon and Basil:
1 lb dried pasta
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ lb Italian Turkey and Sun-Dried Tomato Sausage
Zest of two lemons
5 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 fresh basil leaves, shredded
5 Tablespoons fresh parsley
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
In a large skillet, sauté the sausage balls in olive oil for 4-6 minutes, breaking them up as they cook. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, basil and parsley, and allow to cook for one minute to release the flavors. Cook the pasta according to package directions to the al dente stage (about 5 minutes) and drain. Then toss the sausage mixture into the pasta until well coated. Season with salt and pepper and serve with Parmesan cheese. After a bite of this and a chilled white wine, you’ll almost be able to see the Italian Alps.
So, try your hand at making fresh poultry sausage! I’m going to make the Arabic Mediterranean ones next and enjoy with pita bread, hummus, and thick yogurt. I thought that Flying Sausages is an interesting read and an excellent introduction to an inexpensive and easy way to add some different spices to your cooking routine. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll develop some favorites of your own!
