Pork Pot Pie with Dumpling Topping

1 Tbsp fat (veg oil or lard)

8oz pork loin cut into ¼" pieces
1 lb fresh sausage in 1" pieces or crumbled, to taste (I use Italian sausage)

½ tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp fat (veg oil or lard)

½ onion (4oz/115g) chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup flour

¼ cup brandy or cognac (whiskey will do in a pinch)

3 cups chicken broth or stock 

¼ cup heavy cream 

2 medium carrots, sliced 

8oz potatoes, cubed smallish

OPTIONAL 1½ cups fine chopped kale or cabbage

1. This is a one-pot meal so be sure to have a pot big enough to contain the filling and allow for the dumplings to rise and spread. 
2. Heat the pot for a few minutes then add the fat. Brown the cubed pork and set aside. 
3. You should have at least 2 Tbsps. of fat from cooking the meat. If not, add some butter or more lard. 
4. In the hot leftover oil, cook the sausage. 
5. When the excess moisture from the meat has mostly evaporated, add the onions and garlic to the sausage, stirring until soft and transparent. 
6. Stir in the flour until completely combined. Take the time to brown the flour in the fat to cook away pasty raw flour taste. Pour in the cognac or brandy or whiskey and combine, stirring constantly until the sharp alcoholic aroma leaves the liquor and is reduced, at least by half. The bottom of your pot will likely be dark brown with cooked-on fond. This is great! 
7. Add the chicken broth and cream, and stir to combine. If it looks a bit lumpy, don't worry, it'll smooth out during the simmering. You can also spend some time loosening some of the fond by scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
8. Add the browned pork (and the kale if using) and bring to a simmer and braise until the pork is fork tender, about ½ hour. 
9. Stir in carrots and potatoes. Return to a simmer and cook another 15 minutes before adding the dumplings.

Dumplings

1¼  cups flour

3½  tsps. baking powder

½  tsp salt

½  cup milk

1 egg

OPTIONAL : ½ tsp dry herb that complements the flavor of your sausage

1. Mix together dry ingredients just before adding to the pot. Letting the batter sit isn't good. 
2. In a separate bowl, mix milk and egg together. 
3. Dump wet over dry and mix briefly, only enough that the dry and wet are well blended. 
4. Divide dough into four portions and gently plop on top of the stew in the pot. 
5. Cover and cook 15 minutes. NOTE: Do not lift lid until done.

Quick Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage Meat Recipe

Since we've raised our own pigs I wanted to figure out how to make my own sausage, but that turned out to be more challenging than I thought. I haven't figured out a sausage recipe for the meat to have lovely, tender, succulent roasted fresh sausages, but I have figured out a quick herb and spice mix for Italian sausages that I can use ground pork with for braised recipes.

1lb ground pork (not lean)

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp brown sugar

1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed

1 tsp cracked black pepper

dash nutmeg (optional?)

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried thyme

1 to 2 Tbsps fresh parsley, minced

1 tsp dried basil

¾ tsp paprika

FOR HOT = ¾ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1. Place the pork and red wine vinegar in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining ingredients. Knead until you can see flecks of spice evenly distributed through the meat.

Gratin Italian sausage and kale

I love teasing people about kale. It's the new kid on the block and folks are still discovering it and getting that shiny new convert look when you tell them it's survival food (ie. people eat it when there's nothing left to eat). The truth is that 1) I like kale just fine and 2) it is not new food. It's been around for a long, long time because it's so hardy and reliable. Cook it right, and it's a sweet treat. But it does have a very strong flavor and not everyone is a fan, so if you want to serve kale to a finnicky table, match it with equally strong flavors. This dish is a cheesy saucy gooey warming dish with a lovely crunchy topping.

Some olive oil

1 lb fresh mild or hot Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled

⅓ cup dry white wine

2 bunches (about 1 pound) kale, stemmed and torn into large pieces

½ cup (4oz/114gr) + 3 Tbsps (1.5oz/42gr) butter, melted

⅓ cup flour

2 cups milk

8oz fresh goat cheese or feta

3oz freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 Tbsp minced fresh herbs (such as a combination of parsley, oregano and basil)

1. Heat the oven to 350°F degrees.
2. In a large stainless steel sauté pan, heat the oil and cook the sausage, breaking it up. Cook until browned (usually when the moisture has evaporated). Remove any excess fat.
3. Add the wine scraping up the fond. Continue to cook until the wine reduces and is mostly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. 
4. Decrease the heat and stir in the kale, one handful at a time. Mix in the kale and cook until it begins to wilt and turn a bright green. Don't worry about overcooking the kale; it is impossible, unless you burn it! Remove from heat and set the pan aside.
5. Meanwhile, dump the bread crumbs in a medium sized bowl.
6. Melt all the butter in a saucepan. When melted, put 3 Tbsps of it into the breadcrumb bowl.
7. Into the remaining butter, whisk in the flour; continue wisking until starting to brown. Add the milk, whisking constantly, until it thickens into a sauce.
8. Add the crumbled goat cheese to the roux and continue to whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
9. Pour the sauce into the sausage and kale and let sit 5 minutes to allow any more fond to lift. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to scrape up the fond and mix the sauce evenly in the sausage and kale.
10. Spoon the mixture into a shallow, 2 quart gratin dish.
11. To the breadcrumb and butter, add parmesan and minced fresh herbs. Mix thoroughly, then evenly distribute over the kale and sausage to form the topping.
12. Bake the gratin until the topping is golden-brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes (briefly broil at this point if not browned enough).
13. Cool slightly before serving with crusty bread if eating as a main dish.

Roasted Italian Sausage, Fennel and Red Peppers

This is wonderful. The result is the smoky roasted flavor of the broiled veg and meat coupled with the sweet, flavourful drippings that make up the intoxicating sauce. It's nice to have a bit of Commons Bread on hand to sop up the hot juices.
You can play with the ratios of vegetables. I tend to prefer less red pepper as it is a strong flavour compared to the fennel, and I love fennel so I tend to add more of that than others may like.
NOTE: The outer layer of fennel bulbs tend to be a bit tough but you don't want to discard it completely because a: it's yummy and b: it's a lot of the vegetable that is wasted. All you need to do is, with a paring knife, peel away the skin of the top layer and the flesh underneath is as sweet and lovely as the rest.

1½ lb hot or sweet Italian sausage links
1 or 2 red peppers cut into 2-inch pieces
2 med-to-small fennel bulbs, quartered and cut into 2-inch-wide pieces. See NOTE
1 large onion, quartered and cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Score the sausage lengthwise to split them open.
3. In a large bowl, toss together all the remaining ingredients (I do this with my hands to make sure I get everything really well covered with the salt and oil).
4. Place the sausage on a large baking sheet, cut-side down. Dump the oily vegetables on top, shifting everything around to have things on a single layer (you likely won't succeed but that's ok). It's ok if the sausage is partially exposed.
5. Broil 6-8 inches from the heat source, until the exposed parts of the sausages are browned and the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. With a spatula, flip everything over and stir, then broil until the sausage is just cooked through and the vegetables are softened, about 8 to 10 minutes more.
6. (Optional) Serve sprinkled with fennel fronds.

Sausage and Bean Stew with Squash

1 lb dry white beans (4 cups cooked)
Sprig thyme
4 parsley stalks
1 onion, quartered
2 Tbsps + ¼ cup olive oil
3 to 4 Spicy Italian sausages (about 1lb) (any sausage will do, but add more chilli flakes if the sausages are mild)
2 Tbsps chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
Optional (if you like it super spicy) ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
8oz sweet squash, cubed (if using other squash, only peel if the rind is thick and hard)
1 tsp salt +
¾ cup chicken broth
1 large tomato, cubed
2 oz grated parmesan

1. The night before, soak the beans in lots of fresh water.
2. Next day, drain the soaking water, add fresh and throw in the thyme, parsley and onion. Bring to a boil and cook 30 to 60 minutes (depending on how fresh the dry beans are) or until the beans are soft. 
3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Toss the squash with the 2 Tbsps of oil and sprinkle with some salt. Pop in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until browned, occasionally shaking things up to avoid burning the bottoms. 
6. When the squash and beans are nearly done, in a large saucepan, heat the ¼ cup olive oil until it starts to shimmer. Shallow fry the sausages, rosemary, garlic and the chilli for one minute.
7. Add the squash and fry for a further three minutes or until the sausage has browned.
8. Remove the sausage and cut into quarters. 
9. Put the sausage back in the pan and add the beans, bay leaf and salt.
10. Add the broth and tomato, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
11. Increase the heat for a rapid simmer and uncover to cook another 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
12. Serve topped with grated Parmesan and a thick slice fresh buttered crusty bread on the side.
13. Like most stews, this dish is best on the second day once the flavours have blended and the beans soaked up more flavour.

PREFERRED INGREDIENTS: Turban Squash, Cassoulet Beans, Hidatsa Shield Figure Beans

Baked Italian Sausage and Potatoes

This is delicious simple and quick to throw together. Great with bread.

2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 tsps fresh rosemary, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 (a little under 1 lb) Italian sausages (sweet or hot), squeezed out of their casings and divided into quarters
3 (a little over 1lb) medium old potatoes, quartered (peel if you feel like it)
1 onion cut into 8ths (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup water

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Whisk together in a large bowl the vinegar, oil, rosemary and garlic.
3. Throw in the potato and sausage and stir until well covered in the marinade.
4. Place mixture into a ceramic or glass gratin dish lined with parchment paper (it sticks terribly to the dish without lining) and bake for 30 minutes, then turning and bake another 15, until sausage and potatoes are cooked through.

Spicy Italian Sausage and Kale Pasta

Yes, kale. As an easy-to-grow cold weather vegetable, it's worthwhile for us to try to find ways of making this tough, strong-tasting vegetable palatable. I've found that strong flavours can achieve this goal. In this instance, the sausage has a strong flavor and is robust enough in texture to balance the kale.

12 oz hot Italian sausage
8 oz kale leaves, massaged and thinly sliced
6 large garlic cloves (30g) coarsely chopped
3 Tbsps olive oil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
2 cups chicken stock
1 lb Rotini pasta (or use your favorite chunky pasta)

½ cup Pasta Water
¼ tsp salt
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan; squeeze sausage out of casings and crumble into the pan, cooking until the sausage is nicely browned. Turn the heat down.
2. Meanwhile, wash and massage the kale and cut into thin slices.
3. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook for about a minute, then add the kale. Cook until the kale is all wilted, stirring constantly to prevent garlic from browning.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, leaving the pan uncovered. This will increase the flavour by concentrating the liquid and further contributing to browning.
4. Now, start the water for the pasta and bring to a boil. The kale needs lots of time to soften while cooking. NOTE: Save ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the sausage/kale mixture, adding as much pasta cooking water as you think you need for it to be moist enough.  Add the Parmesan cheese and serve hot, garnished with extra Parmesan cheese.

Zuppa di salsiccia

This is such a lovely and simple soup. I have a note on this at the bottom, but it bears mentioning several times because it really makes a difference - save your Parmesan rinds and add to the soup while it simmers. It's delicious! I called this soup simply Italian Sausage, Chard and Cannellini Bean Soup, but Ben felt that it didn't have enough mystique. So I called it Zuppa di salsiccia, which Google Translate says means Sausage Soup.

1 or 2 Tbsps olive oil or bacon fat
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
1 onion (6oz/170gr) chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup white wine
6 to 8 cups chicken stock
OPTIONAL: Parmesan cheese rind
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground fennel
4 cans Cannellini beans, drained OR 16oz dry beans
Tender leafy greens such as Swiss chard or Turnip greens or young nettle tops, about 250g
Salt, to taste (if you follow the NOTE, consider adding less salt, since the Parmesan rind will add saltiness)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. If using dry beans, soak them the night before.
2. Drizzle the oil in a soup pot and squeeze the sausage out of their casings into it, then turn on the heat. When the sausage meat starts to sizzle, add the onions and mix to break up the sausage, then let cook until onions are soft and the sausage begins to brown. You will notice a stage when a lot of liquid is liberated from the sausage and the onion - the browning begins once this excess water is cooked off. (If you want to reduce the fat, you put the cooked sausage and onion mix in a colander and rinse with hot water).
3. Scrape the browned sausage bits off the bottom of the pan as the mixture cooks. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. 
4. Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine and cook until almost all gone, then add the chicken stock, making sure to scrape off as much of the sausage that may still be sticking to the bottom of the pot. If using, add the cheese rind. Increase the temperature to bring to a boil.
5. Meanwhile, add the beans, the fennel seeds and the basil. If using dry beans, cook the soup for one hour or until the beans are tender.
6. Wash the chard, and cut out the stems. Slice the stems very fine, and add them to the soup. Once it starts to boil, reduce the temperature and let it simmer for about a half hour.
7. While the soup simmers, lay out the chard leaves on top of each other, fold lengthwise once or twice, and cut into thin ribbons, about ¼" wide.
8. When the soup has simmered at least 30 minutes, add the chard ribbons and simmer for another 10 minutes more, or until the chard is softened and the flavours have come out. Serve the soup hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese - the cheese adds to the flavour of the soup (see NOTE).

NOTE: If you happen to have a Parmesan rind in the fridge, add it to the soup when you first start simmering for added flavour.

Italian Sausage Pie or, What to eat when you're bumed

Yesterday we came home from a beautiful spring day to find that our kitchen window had been forced open and our computers stolen (I'm uploading this post on an ancient laptop that has already crashed three times, won't work if you put in the battery, and needs its belly rubbed before going the sleep!) There's the inconvenience of losing computers and the danger of personal information on them falling into the wrong hands, but what is even more disturbing to me is that they entered through the kitchen - my sanctuary, the space from where I make my home... homey. And on top of that, my entire repertoire of recipes that I'd altered to my liking are gone. Gone!
Ah, well, I don't want to stay with these feelings, so a little comfort food will help, not just to eat, but to make, to fill my desecrated sacred space with warm, appetising aromas, to welcome light back into our home. I now have the opportunity to rebuild, rediscover and re-invent.
An old favourite is Italian Sausage Pie, a recipe I found on Recipezaar that is both delicious and comforting.

1 pie shell, blind baked, completely cooled
3/4 lb Italian sausage, sweet or hot
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion
3 eggs
1/2 cup crème fraîche, cream or milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella or Gruyère
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Before turning on the heat under a skillet, add the oil and the onion. Remove the casing from the sausage and break up into crumbles in the skillet.
2. Turn on the heat  and cook until the onions are soft and the sausage starts to brown. This is usually when most of the moisture from the sausage has evaporated. Drain any excess fat and  and spoon this mixture into the blind baked pie shell.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat together the eggs and the cream, then mix in the cheese, salt and pepper; pour this over the sausage mixture.
4. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes, or until the custard sets and it tests clean with a knife.
5. Allow the pie to cool a few minutes before serving.
6. To keep the quiche warm, cover it with aluminum foil and bake it in a preheated oven at 200-250F.