Kolbassa is a finer cut than the meat in Kielbasa.
Serves 2
2 medium potatoes skinned and grated. Soak the grated potatoes in water and wash – twice. Drain and dry. In a non-stick fry pan place the potatoes in, place on medium-low heat and dry for several minutes. Remove and set aside.
½ chopped onion ½ strip of bacon and cut into lardons 1 egg beaten 1 tsp flour 1 tsp butter 2 TBSP Sour Cream Salt and pepper
½ lb. Kolbassa, cut in half (You can use Kielbasa instead)
In a small non-stick fry pan sauté the bacon, onions and butter. After the potatoes have cooled place in a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes, bacon, onions and butter, the egg and salt and pepper. Mix the Babka and lay out in a greased 8”x8” pan. Spread the sour cream on top.
In a separate ovenproof pan place the Kolbassa in it and cover with foil.
Place both pans in a 350° oven and cook for 45 minutes. Remove and serve.
½ lb. dry black-eyed peas rinsed and picked over 3 slices bacon, cut into lardons. 4 oz smoked andouille sausage cubed.
Trinity ½ large, sweet onion finely diced ½ rib celery diced ½ bell pepper diced
2 cloves garlic minced. 1 tsp Creole/Cajun seasoning or Cayenne salt and black pepper 2 cups chicken stock (a little more if needed to cover the peas) 1 cup dry white wine 1 medium bay leaf 1 tsp fresh thyme 1 cup fresh spinach 2 green onions thinly sliced.
Instructions
Soak peas for 4 hours and drain.
In a Dutch oven or similar heavy bottomed pot cook bacon. Remove and put on paper towels.
Add andouille, brown and remove.
Add Trinity and sauté.
Add drained black-eyed peas, Cayenne seasoning, salt, black pepper, bay leaves and fresh thyme.
Add wine and stock and garlic.
Cover, bring to a boil, cook over medium-low heat just until the black-eyed peas are tender (about 45 minutes). Stir often. Cook peas longer if needed to reach the proper texture.
Add andouille, bacon, and spinach. Simmer uncovered for around 15 minutes to reduce the stock.
2 Mirlitons (Cut in half length-ways, boil for 30 minutes, cool and scooped out the center, lay on a paper towel scooped side down for 20 minutes to drain any excess water from the mirliton)
2 TBSP Butter
¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion ¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper ¼ cup finely chopped celery 1 small scallion finely chopped 1 large garlic clove minced
8 diced uncooked shrimp tails (Head and tail shells removed), cut shrimp tails into ½ cubes 1/8 cup finely diced cooked ham
Dash of cayenne pepper Salt and pepper 1 beaten egg ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs Fresh grated classic Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400°
Heat 1 TBSP butter in a non-stick fry pans and sauté the veggies on low until onions become translucent. Remove and place in a large mixing bowl.
Heat 1 TBSP of butter and cook the shrimp and ham about 5 minutes adding cayenne pepper. Remove and place in the mixing bowl.
To the mixing bowl add the egg, S&P and breadcrumbs and mix with a spoon.
Spoon the mixture into the mirliton and then grate the cheese over the top.
Chop all in a small food processor to make it finer.
Sausage • 1 tsp dried parsley • ½ tsp garlic powder • ½ tsp onion powder • 1 tsp Worcestershire • 2 tsp Italian seasoning (from above mixture) • ¾ tsp black pepper • ¼ tsp fennel seeds • ¼ tsp paprika • ½ tsp red pepper flake • 1 tsp Kosher salt • 1 lb. batch of pork shoulder and add ¼ lb. pork belly fat (skin removed) • 1 3-foot length sausage casing (29-32mm, 1 1/8″ – 1 1/4″, Natural Hog • ¼ cup dry white wine
Open one end of the hog casing and fill a little with running tap water. Squeeze the water through the case. Do this a couple more times to clean the inside of the casing. Soak the casing in water with a touch of vinegar for an hour. This makes the casing easier to chew when cooked with the casing on.
Cut the meat into ½ inch cubes. This makes it easier to grind the meat through a small grinder setting on a KitchenAid grinder attachment. In the KitchenAid mixing bowl, add all the sausage ingredients to the meat. Attach the mixing paddle and mix the meat, seasoning and water 2 minutes. Place the mixing bowl in the refrigerator. Need to always keep the meat cold to preserve the fat.
Setup the KitchenAid with the casing stuffer and stuff the casing. Roll the casing on the counter to get it even meat. About 4 inches from one end pinch the sausage and turn the link away from you. Another 4 inches down the same but roll the link towards you. Do this until the entire casing is completely linked. Place in the frig in a sealed container overnight if you will use the sausage the next day or you can place the links in a freezer bag and freeze until use.
Note: In the pic above I removed the casing. I will be making a Ragu today and like to brown the meat without the casing on first. If you like serving a link alongside spaghetti, then you might consider leaving the casing on while cooking the sausage in the sauce.
Ducks Mahal 