sausage

Visit Norway- Lingering Over A Late Lunch at Gamlastovo Farm & a Plum Porridge Recipe

17 Jul 2011
Sippity Sup at Gamlastovo Farm, Norway

To understand Norway, you need to spend some time outside Oslo. The Norwegians are people who enjoy the outdoors. Outdoor recreation and sports are popular. Skiing, fishing, hiking... But an outdoor life also includes work. Rural life is still a vital part of Norwegian culture. Many people make at least part of their living working on the family farm. From dairy to meat to produce.

That's because even today there is a very strong farm culture which defines what is traditionally Norwegian. The harsh climate helped shape this tradition. Long dark winters made travel and commerce more difficult than in more temperate zones. Families and communities developed to be quite self-sufficient. That is a core element of what it means to be Norwegian, from this outsider's perspective.

Being an "outsider", naturally I wanted to get outside of Oslo and see some of the countryside that helps shape the Norwegian farm culture. I am glad I did too. The countryside of Norway is breathtaking. Mountains, lakes, rivers, and fjords. Each one grand in scale. Each one touched by God, I believe that.

We stopped in one such place. It's called Gamlastovo Farm. It's a working farm, sure. But it also has a 250 year old restored farmhouse that serves as a small restaurant, bringing food in the traditional Norwegian style. Simple, rugged and perfectly practical.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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International House of Pancakes! Toad-In-The-Hole

06 Apr 2010
Toad-In-The-Hole

Today’s pancake journey takes us to Jolly Old England. I promised you week of international pancakes and I am trying deliver; thereby proving that all nations– indeed all cultures, have some version of a pancake in their food traditions. Great Britain is certainly no exception. This is Toad-In-The-Hole and it is DAY 2.

I chose this pancake because it is classic pub food. It has the oddball name though, and I'll admit that is part of its allure to me. It is traditionally made with pork sausages (bangers) and a rich batter of flour, milk, and eggs. As this batter bakes, it gets puffed up, Yorkshire pudding style. The result is a beautifully browned, raised crust that encompasses the meat.

Do you ever hang out in pubs? I don’t know about where you live, but updated versions of the classic pub are popping up like toadstools all over Los Angeles. I was recently in one of the self-proclaimed “gastro-pubs” and noticed Toad-In-The-Hole being served.

Now I have a confession, until that day I had a very mistaken idea of what a true-to-the-Brits Toad-In-The-Hole actually was! I’d always called the egg that is fried in the hole in the middle of a piece of bread by the moniker Toad-In-The-Hole. But that’s incorrect. That dish is properly called Chicken-In-A-Basket, or Eggs-In-A-Basket. So when I saw a proper version of Toad-In-The-Hole being served my first shocked thought was, that looks nothing like a toad to me!

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Toad-In-The-Hole with Onion Sauce & Cherry Tomatoes

Toad-In-The-Hole
By jgreghenry Published April 6, 2010
Prep time: 60
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 3 T unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 0.5 c madiera wine
  • 1 c chicken stock
  • 1 T worcestershire sauce
  • 0 coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 c milk
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • 1 T plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, separated
  • 3 T vegetable oil
  • 8 american breakfast-style fresh pork sausages, casings removed
  • 1 T chopped fresh rosemary
  • 0 cherry tomatoes (optional)

Directions

Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring, until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover; cook over low heat to very low and continue to cook, stirring often until brown and jammy, about 25 minutes. Slowly add 1 tablespoon of the flour while stirring and then cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in the wine, stock, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until thick, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and let it sit until serving at which time re-heat the sauce. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/2 cup water, and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Let stand 20 minutes. Coat a 13 x 9-inch or 3 1/2-quart baking dish with the oil; heat in the oven 10 or 15 minutes, until smoking hot. Remove from the oven. Pour the batter into the dish. Arrange the sausages on top; sprinkle with rosemary. Bake until puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately with gravy and some (optional) cherry tomatoes on the side.

Notes:

serves 4 Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Spicy Clams with Abruzzese Sausage

Spicy Clams with Abruzzese Sausage
By jgreghenry Published December 1, 2009
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 3 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 18 clv garlic, peeled and left whole
  • 0.5 t crushed red-pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 2 c dry white wine
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes with juice
  • 1 eight-inch piece of abruzzese sausage, cut on the diagonal in 1/4 inch thick slices
  • 3 lb clams, scrubbed
  • 0 salt and pepper to taste
  • 0.5 c chopped italian parsley leaves

Directions

Heat the oil in a large, heavy stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the whole garlic cloves and let them cook undisturbed for several minutes until one side begins to get quite brown. Then stir the garlic and continue cooking until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped shallots and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the red-pepper flakes and cook a moment more. Add the wine; bring the liquid to a boil. Add the tomatoes and sausage slices. Lower the heat and simmer the pot, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the clams to the pot covering it with a tight fitting lid immediately. Continue to cook the clams, shaking the pot once in a while, until the clams open, about 6-8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the parsley. Serve immediately with good crusty bread.

Notes:

serves 4 as a first course

Italian Sausages with White Beans and Radicchio

Italian Sausages with White Beans and Radicchio
By jgreghenry Published September 22, 2009
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 4 italian sausages, spicy
  • 4 large, whole radicchio leaves
  • 2 carrots, cut in 1/4" dice
  • 2 stalks celery, cut in 1/4" dice
  • 1 large onion, cut in 1/4" dice
  • 1 (15 oz) can white beans
  • 0.5 c cup chicken broth
  • 1 T dried oregano
  • 0 good olive oil for drizzling

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until almost smoking (you will begin to smell the oil at that point). Add sausages and cook, turning often for even browning, about 10 minutes, until golden all over but not cooked through. Move sausages to side of skillet to continue to cook while you sear radicchio. 2. Put a couple of radicchio leaves in skillet in single layer and cook about 45 seconds on each side, until seared and wilted slightly. Remove leaves to plate and cook remaining leaves in the same way, adding more oil to pan if it's dry. While you sear radicchio leaves, continue to cook and turn sausages for 10 more minutes, until cooked through, and transfer to plate when done. 3. Add a bit more olive oil if necessary to coat skillet. Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic and a pinch of kosher salt, and saute about 1 1/2 minutes, until vegetables are soft and garlic is fragrant, stirring constantly so garlic doesn't brown. 4. Reduce heat to medium, add broth to deglaze pan. Then add beans and simmer until liquid is reduced by 1/2, about 5 minutes. Stir in oregano and season with kosher salt. 5. Arrange 2 radicchio leaves i on each of 2 plates. Spoon beans over radicchio, dividing evenly, and drizzle with sauce left in skillet. 6. Cut sausages in 1/2 at an angle and place 2-4 pieces of each sausage side by side on each plate. Drizzle sausage and beans with high-quality olive oil.

Notes:

serves 2 Source: Based on a Nancy Silverton Recipe