Grill Interrupted

 

I carry recipes around like old baggage. I’ll very often find a recipe in a cookbook, decide I HAVE to make it one day, write it down and then hold onto it (for years if necessary). I’ve had a recipe for sausages I’ve been holding onto for the better part of a decade. I’m pretty sure the original recipe started off from Wolfgang Puck. As I didn’t have a sausage maker, I didn’t have an easy way to see it to fruition. I tried approaching a couple of butchers over the years, but they wanted to make such a massive quantity of them it just didn’t make sense.

Over the years I adapted it and decided I wanted to try making maple and fennel sausages as a spin on the original recipe. When Cuisinart asked me if I wanted to give their sausage maker a try I jumped at the opportunity. Finally, I could pull this recipe out, dust it off and take it for a spin.

The homemade sausages were really easy to make. I used collagen casings and my daughter helped me feed the meat in as I filled the casings and tied the sausage. It was easy to use and left nearly no cleanup. What more can you ask for really? I liked the fact that the motor was built to make sausage, as other appliance add-ons I’ve seen over the years for sausage making just didn’t have the horsepower for the job.

The results were as delicious as I’d imagined over the years. Served with finely chopped onion and mustard my kids and friends have been gobbling them up. I made 10 pounds, froze them and have been defrosting them a couple of pounds at a time as needed. The garlic and fennel give these sausages a wonderful flavour with the mellow sweetness of the maple just below the surface. Definitely worth the wait!

 

Maple Fennel Sausage

Ingredients:

5 lbs boneless turkey thigh, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 lbs veal, cut into 1-inch cubes
3.5 ounces curing salt
4 teaspoons black pepper
4 tablespoons fennel seeds, lightly toasted
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
approx 35 feet collagen casing

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl combine the meat along with remaining ingredients. Cover and marinate in the fridge at least 2 hours or as long as overnight. 

2. Pass the mixture through a meat grinder using the medium hole plate and form the sausages.

Suggested serving: mustard and minced onion

Filed under: Recipe on June 8th, 2013 | Comments Off on Maple Fennel Sausage

I was looking for something fun to make with the kids for my wife on Mother’s Day and came across this great recipe for Bread Pudding over on Delicious Shots. We changed it up a little bit to use sliced challah but otherwise stayed true to this delicious suggestion.

The kids were able to get their hands into helping out which always wins them over. I had them cracking eggs, measuring ingredients, and breaking up challah pieces. Served up with powdered sugar and a big scoop of ice cream, I don’t need to tell you this dish was a hit with everyone!

Challah Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

350 grams sliced challah bread
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter (to butter the pan)
Powdered sugar and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Preparation:

1. Cut the bread slices into quarters and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F. Butter a 9×13 inch pan and set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, evaporated milk, whole milk, spices and vanilla. Mix until well combine and smooth.
3. Arrange the bread in the prepared pan and pour over the egg mixture. Press gently with your hands and let it sit for 10 minutes.
4. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Filed under: Recipe on May 27th, 2013 | Comments Off on Challah Bread Pudding

 

Through my non-culinary career (no, I don’t cook ALL day) I’ve had the fortune of meeting some wonderful people. One of the warmest personalities I have ever met is my friend Dheeraj, from Mumbai, India. He measures in at about six and a half feet tall  and stands out in a crowd wherever he goes. Walking through the conference halls at the trade show we attend together in Las Vegas each year is quite the challenge. Due to his height, you cannot miss him, and due to his warm personality, EVERYBODY knows him. Dheeraj has a big friendly smile and a kind greeting for everyone he meets. He will take the time to ask them about their work, their family, their hobbies – it is mind-blowing. He has the patience of a saint.

In any case, when Dheeraj emailed me to ask me what he could bring me as a gift from India this year (because, yes, he is THAT nice) I simply asked for some of his favourite family recipes for me to try out at home. Dheeraj deferred to his wonderful wife Bhavna who was kind enough to share some of their go-to recipes with me.

Below are two variations on saag – a popular Indian dish with a spinach base. Beyond the spinach it can vary wildly on what else is included. I’ve made some changes to the recipes based on North American ingredients and cooking methods, so I apologize to Bhavna in advance if they do not do her recipes justice. I thought they were absolutely delicious and can be served with a variety of sides such as naan, roti, potatoes, rice, or quinoa. I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to trying more of Bhavna’s recipes soonest!

Saag Paneer – Spinach with cottage cheese
Serves 4

Ingredients :

1 bunch of spinach, chopped
250 grams pressed cottage cheese,cut into cubes
3 medium sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 green chili, halved
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 bay leaf
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoon oil
Salt & pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped spinach, onion, tomatoes, green chili and turmeric. Cover with a tight lid No need to add water, shut the lid and let it whistle just once, then remove it from the burner.
2. Remove the contents into a dish and allow to cool. Once cooled place in a mixer and blend to make a smooth paste.
3. In a pan over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot add the bay leaf and finely chopped garlic. As soon as it begins to brown reduce the flame to low and put in the spinach mixture.
4. Close the lid and let it simmer for five minutes. If it is too thick add some stock or water to thin.
5. Stir in the the cottage cheese, (Indian paneer would not dissolve the way our cottage cheese does, but the flavour still works just as well and adds a wonderful creaminess).

Mixed Vegetable Saag
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 bunch of spinach, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green chili, halved
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1/2 carrot, chopped
3 teaspoons yellow lentil soaked in water for an hour
1 tablespoon oil
Salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

Preparation:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the onions and continue to cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
From now on wards, DO NOT STIR.
Toss in the finely chopped spinach, the chopped tomatoes, chopped carrot, chopped potatoes, ginger and green chili. DO NOT STIR.
Drain the water from the lentils and toss in too. Add all the spices and salt to taste. Add a tablespoon of water and put the lid on. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Open pot and using a handheld immersion blender blend until desired smooth. Add water a tablespoon at a time if it’s too thick.

Filed under: Recipe on May 16th, 2013 | Comments Off on Authentic Saag Paneer & Mixed Vegetable Saag