Making Sausage Part II

 It was time to revisit sausage making since the last batch I wrote about a few months ago. There are many things I learned from my last experience that would hopefully make this a better sausage making experience. Here are a few problems/errors I had encountered the last time:

-I did not use an ice bath while working with the meat
-Sinew had caused binding with the grinding blade and dye
-the plastic pusher introduced air into the grinding chamber and caused some headaches mostly during the stuffing phase
-the meat mix was dry because I had not used any fat other than the natural fat within the pork shoulder
-my sausage girth was not consistently the same diameter
-During the stuffing, I allowed the sausage to just feed on to the counter top which created some mess and didn't keep the meat cold.
-I was not very thrilled with the spice blend I used the last time.

So, with all of this in mind, I decided to make another batch.

I began the night before by placing all of the grinder parts, and my mixing bowl in the freezer. Keeping everything cold allows for the meat to be ground more easily and more importantly prevent harmful bacteria from forming.

I started by ordering 5 Lbs. of pork shoulder and 1 Lb. of fat back.
I made my own spice blend consisting of the following:

ground fennel seeds
ground black pepper
ground dry onions
garlic powder
ground dried serrano peppers
paprika
dried parsley
dried Oregano
dried basil
sugar
salt

I adjusted the ratio of the above to match with the quantity of meat and what I thought would be a nice balance. I mixed all of the spices in 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup red wine vinegar.

The following day I ground the meat and fat back together. I allowed the ground meat to fall into a bowl sitting in an ice bath to keep the meat cold. Ground meat is the most susceptible form of meat to bacteria if allowed to warm. I stopped several times during the process to clean out the sinew. Next, I mixed the spice blend and the meat by hand. I did this quickly to prevent my hands from making the meat warm. I placed the meat in the fridge and allowed to sit overnight to allow the spices to meld with the meat.

I cleaned all of the grinder parts and placed back in the freezer for the stuffing phase the following day.

Next day, I made a "test" burger and was very happy with the flavors, so no seasoning adjustment was necessary. I began the prep for stuffing. I assembled the grinder with the sausage stuffer nozzle. I placed a pan in an ice bath below the grinder to catch the sausage. I used speed 2 on the grinder to keep things moving slowly so I could control the girth of the sausage and manage the prevention of air into the grinder more easily. This worked. I kept the meat supply constant. This is crucial to prevent air from getting into the chamber. The process went very smoothly. The entire process seemed more efficient, smoother, and cleaner. 

Cauliflower Couscous Salad

I made this salad for friends a few days ago. It was a big hit. It's beautiful, elegant, and tasty. It's a prefect little meal for a vegetarian, or a nice starter for a summer lunch. The white ingredient on the bottom is the real show stopper. It's cauliflower disguised to appear like couscous. Simple in appearance, but labor intensive; however, I think it's worth the effort.

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients for 6 servings:

18 leaves Bok Choy
12 small carrots
3 turnips
18 arugual leaves
12 cherry tomatoes
12 asparagus sticks
1 head of cauliflower

Olive Oil
your own vinaigrette (I made it with champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, meyer lemon syrup, garlic confit, and olive oil)
Finely chopped herbs (I used chives, parsley, and mint)

Directions:

The next steps can be done a few hours before service.

1. prep the vegetables by trimming bok choy, trim asparagus by cutting the inedible part of the stems, cut turnips in 1/4's and then shape them (Turning), trim carrots and cut lengthwise into 2 or 4 pieces depending on the thickness of the carrots.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. This will be used to blanch the above vegetables.
3. prepare a bowl of ice water
4. Blanch each of the vegetables separately in their like groups just until they are cooked but still firm and barely crunchy. Immediately remove from the hot water and place in ice water to stop the cooking and to retain the vibrant color of the vegetables. Begin with the turnips, then the greens, then the carrots to prevent color contamination.Leave in the water only until they are cooled, then remove and place in a tupperware lined with moist paper towels to keep the vegetables moist. Don't leave in the ice bath too long as this will result in loss of flavor and  nutrients of the vegetable. Place in the fridge until ready for plating.
5. For the cauliflower couscous, remove the florets from the stems. Place in a cuisinart and pulsate until finely chopped similar in size to grains of couscous.
6. Bring to boil just enough salted water to cover the couscous. Drop the couscous in the water and cook for 1 minute. Strain with a fine mesh strainer and then immediately dip the strainer in the ice bath to cool the couscous. Once cooled, empty the strainer on a cutting board and use paper towels to blot ALL of the moisture out of the cauliflower. Next, place the cauliflower in a bowl, add olive oil, some chopped herbs, and s&p. Taste as you do this until you arrive at a balanced taste.
7. Using a ring mold, and your salad plates, pre-form the cauliflower couscous on each of the plates and place in the fridge. You could do this during service, but I find it easier to do ahead.
8. Cut cherry tomatoes into 1/4's and cover, but keep at room temp.
9. Make your vinaigrette

At Service:

1. place all of the vegetables (the bok choy, carrots, turnips, asparagus, arugula, and tomatoes) in a bowl, add the vinaigrette, chopped herbs, and S&P. Taste to make sure it tastes the way you like it.
2. Build a stack of the vegetables on top of the couscous. I like to place the vegetables individually to equally portion the ingredients and to construct a visually appealing stack.
3. Using a spoon, drizzle the plate ,in a circle, around the salad.

Enjoy!

Mandoline

You may wonder how some ingredients are cut so precisely at a restaurant. Sometimes it's the result of the cook's superior knife skills, but most likely it's the product of a mandoline. It's construction is simple with a blade and an adjustable ramp which changes the thickness of the cut. Using a mandoline assures straight , symmetrical cuts of equal thickness. It's prefect for quickly slicing humble ingredients like a potato, or carrot, but it can also be used to create more elegant results. Here are a few examples of how I use the mandoline in my kitchen:

I like using the mandoline to create ultra thin sliced products which add a delicate elegance to a dish. One of my favorite examples is to create radish discs for use as a garnish. I usually slice a few radishes and then store them in water. They can be used to add elegance to  a dish or salad.

The mandoline is ideal for thinly slicing onions. I like to slice

red onions, add red wine vinegar and sugar to create pickled red onions. They can be stored for months and used for all sorts of garnishes such as salad toppings, plate garnishing, and addition to any appetizer plate.

Candied Lemon wedges

I use the mandoline to disguise the oft disliked Brussels sprouts into something more desirable. I find that most people seem to dislike the whole sprout, so I shred them using the mandoline. A simple preparation is to saute the shredded sprouts in butter, add some crushed toasted walnuts, a few drops of lemon juice, and salt/pepper. Voila! A simple side dish, and no one will guess that it's made with brussels sprouts. Below I used the sprouts as a garnish for the hangar steak.

Wood Fired Pizza Oven

It was "Passport Weekend" in the wine country. An event that allows guests to purchase a ticket and roam between participating wineries. The event showcased wines with appropriate food pairings. The Chef chose to cook pizzas for our event. It was a warm summer day....perfect for a wood burning pizza oven on the back deck of the winey, with a sweeping view of Napa valley.

The Chef loves using the wood fired pizza oven to create not only pizzas, but rustic Italian dishes. However, today was all about pizza. We were a team of 4 plus the dishwasher who also helped when it was busy (our pizza team pictured above). The dough and the mise en place for the pizzas had been prepped the day before, leaving only assemblage and cooking for today.

Here are some interesting facts about the oven. This particular brand costs about $15,000. There is a specific method of building a wood pile to start the fire inside the oven. Once started, the wood is moved around the oven to heat all sides of the interior, and then eventually moved off to one side. With the wood on one side, the flames actually arc from one side to the other around the interior of the ceiling.
The temperatures reach between 700-1000 Deg. F. The stone "floor" of the interior is then wiped clean with a wet towel, and you are good to go. The efficiency and heat generation is fantastic. It only takes a few minutes to cook a pizza in the oven.

We made 4 hot pizzas and one cold flat bread pizza:

1. Basic tomato sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella

2. Roasted garlic paste, braised chanterelle, black trumpet mushroom, and 5 mixed cheese

3. Herbed ricotta, asparagus, pancetta, and mozzarella (pictured above)

4. Gluten free dough version
5. Vegetarian pizza
6. Flat bread, topped with herbed creme fraiche, smoked salmon, hard boiled quail eggs, pickled red onion slices, and tarragon.


We made over 200 pizzas in 5 hours. It was a great venue being outdoors, working in a beautiful environment, surrounded by some very happy people. I never worked in a pizza place as a kid, so it was nice to work with dough and the oven.

We received positive comments all day regarding the flavor of the dough. The Chef has kept a "mother dough" alive for 5 years. This is the source of all the dough made at the winery thus preserving that taste character that makes it uniquely flavorful.