After a killer heatwave that leeched out every ounce of energy, today I woke to stormy skies, gusting winds, and blessed coolness. It is marvelous and I’m loving every second of it.
In between editing photos and writing articles, I took some time to recharge a bit with a glass of wine, quiche, and season one of White Collar. Tonight ended a perfectly good day with a warm summer rain.
I’ve been experimenting further with making homemade sausage: Smoky Hungarian, Sage Maple breakfast patties, and this week, Italian sausage.
It’s definitely one of my favorites thus far, mostly because it requires toasted fennel seeds which smell so darn good I can hardly stand it.
Add to that a bit of ground anise seed, some minced garlic, smoked paprika, fresh Italian parsley and a liberal dose of sea salt and pepper and you’re good to go. Mix it well then cover and let it sit in the fridge for a day or two to let the flavors meld.
After that you can form it into patties, fill casings to form links, or just crumble it into a frying pan for soup or quiche.
I added mine to a crock pot Potato Kale Sausage Soup. It smelled so good slow cooking for hours, the fennel standing out but not overpowering the other flavors.
What is your favorite stormy weather food?
Italian Sausage Recipe
Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork
2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp smoked mild paprika
1/2 tsp ground anise seed
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
Directions:
- Place ground pork in a medium bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Cover and chill in fridge for 12-24 hours.
- Shape and cook as desired.
Potato Kale Sausage Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, sliced thinly
2-3 carrots
6 potatoes scrubbed and/or peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
large bunch kale, chopped
1 tsp dried or fresh thyme
1 can cream of asparagus soup
1 pound Italian sausage, fried and crumbled
water
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup milk or light cream
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients except water, cheese and milk in crock pot.
- Cover with water, place lid on pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
- Add cheese and milk, stir to combine, and cook for another hour.
- Serve warm.
I love that you made your own sausage! I’m sure it tastes so much better knowing all the goodness that went into it.
It really does taste so much better, @joanneeatswellwithothers:disqus !! The fat content is lower and you can decide exactly what goes in – no fillers. I love it. 🙂
Nice, like it! Going to try it out
I just love the toasted fennel seed in these sausage patties. They are so easy to make but I wish they were common here in Canada and we were able to purchase sausage patties at the store. There is no chasing a pattie all over the pam.
I wish they were available here too, @d58b26e263bfdbd99d844b965c5cbbfb:disqus 🙂 It would be nice to just pop out and buy some, wouldn’t it? Hopefully one day we will get good sausage available in both our countries. 🙂
Oh yum! I must try making my own sausage. That soup is perfect for these long, cold days. The cold can leech one’s energy just like the heat but then we create and feel so much better. Thanks for the inspiration, luv!
Creating DOES make all the difference, doesn’t it, @facebook-100001665607063:disqus 🙂 Can’t wait to make the snow globe you sent me. 🙂 XOXO
That looks so good Krista.
Thank you, @wanderingsheila:disqus 🙂 It really was scrumptious. 🙂
I made the salami with Sam’s family once and it was divine, and I love the taste of fennel. We had a butcher who made great Italian sausages and even altered the recipe a little at my hubbys request to add the fennel. They are mega serious about those sausages LOL xx
Isn’t it nice to get the cool change and rain our garden greened up overnight xxx
Oh how fun, @9ccdd92ba0f85fdb96c0b104bfa57f1e:disqus 🙂 I’d love to learn how to make salami. 🙂 I’m so glad you’re garden is greening up! I reckon it will even more after the floods go down. XO
this is fantastic! It makes me want to go back to Piedmont to that sausage farm we found when we were looking for the sheep cheese farm and then find a kitchen somewhere and go makes this 🙂
We absolutely MUST go back, @margowrites:disqus 🙂 AND find the sheep cheese farm this time. 🙂
I live in Germany and it’s so hard to find good sausage! I made this recipe to go with an orecchiette pasta served with sausage, Romano cheese, broccoli rabe, and ricotta. The sausage was by far the best part. Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I just loved it. And letting it sit in the fridge for 24 hours was key. Soooooo delectable!