sausage rolls

i was talking about vultures on twitter which led to an australian sausage roll challenge. why? because that's twitter for you. australian sausage rolls are coarse ground sausage meat wrapped in puff pastry; i have never actually eaten one previous to this, but i like a challenge, and frankly mister shankly, these did not seem like they'd be challenging to eat.

timing was great, too, as it is was australia day; coincidentally, also robbie burns night, so there was a chance i would have made y'all a haggis sausage roll. unfortunately, i did not have sheep heart, liver, tongue, and stomach on hand. so sorry. i remembered that susan at immaeatchu made homemade merguez sausage corndogs because she is just so awesome like that. i am not, but the idea was enough to get me to try making merguez--a spicy lamb or beef sausage from northern africa--at home. the sausage was easy enough with the aid of a food processor; i'm sure someone will considered it heretical as it probably tears up the meat as opposed to lovingly grinding it into fluffy clouds of fat and protein, but for this recipe, i think it worked out fine. i used this nytimes.com recipe as a guide, but as i was missing a couple of the spices, i compensated with a couple tablespoonfuls of harissa, a hot pepper paste that also incorporates roasted red sweet peppers, a little tomato, coriander, cumin and paprika.

for the puff pastry, i used chef ludo lefebvre's recipe. it's worth the price of his cookbook, but you can use the frozen stuff or any recipe you prefer.

so, here's the deal: preheat oven to 400°F. roll out some puff pastry dough (10 oz if you are making it at home. may i just note that if you are making it at home, wth are you doing wasting it on this recipe??) into a 12"x15" sheet, or something like it, then cut it in three even pieces. take your favourite sausage recipe, or just squoosh your fave pre-made stuff out of that crazy casing, roll it into 1 to 1 1/2" thick logs and center onto puff pastry. roll pastry around sausage, cut into manageable-sized chunks, put seam side down on parchment lined pan. brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

i think they taste better cold, the next day.

street, cleaner

a version of the many-versioned dan dan mian, or sichuan spicy noodles. wiki says this about it. fuchsia dunlop has lots to say about sichuan cuisine, including the dan dan mian in the city chengdu. i have nothing but this blog entry.

i honestly don't know what the traditional recipe is. the only versions i have eaten have all used wheat noodles with some sort of ground meat (pork or beef), bathed in an oily red broth that includes sesame oil, red chili peppers, and if i'm lucky, sichuan peppers. most are soupy and/or oily, for which i confess, i have no predilection as it seems to simultaneously dilute and muddy the spice in the dish. i have tried both of ms. dunlop's recipes and i prefer one to the other, but still felt the need to tweak it by incorporating chubby hubby's japanese version. there's still some of the funk you expect, yet it's brightened up with the addition of fresh chilis, which also adds a lot of heat. (you can dial that down if you want.)

dan dan mian, or something like it adapted from fuchsia dunlop's recipe and chubby hubby's as well

1 glug cooking oil
1-2 dried chili peppers (w or w/o seeds)
1 teaspoonful sichuan pepper, lightly cracked/roughly chopped
1-2 tablespoonfuls preserved mustard greens, chopped finely (optional, but it actually provides most of the saltiness in this version. if you omit it, add soy sauce or tamari)
1/2 lb ground turkey or ground chicken or finely minced shiitake mushrooms or any combination you want

1-2 tablespoonfuls sesame paste or tahini

1 tablespoonful mirin

1 tablespoonful toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoonful of black vinegar

1-2 green onions, chopped

1 red jalapeño, sliced

heat cooking oil in medium hot pan. when oil is hot but not smoking, add dried chili peppers and sichuan pepper, sautée until fragrant but be careful to not burn. add preserved mustard greens, then protein of choice. sautée until lightly browned. add sesame paste, mirin, sesame oil, black vinegar. the mixture should be wet; keep soupy or cook down to desired dryness. add half the green onions and jalapeño to mixture, leave until just wilted. serve over noodles of choice and garnish with rest of green onions and jalapeño.

toast of christmas past.

someone gave me one of those electric sandwich makers as a gift--not a panini grill but one of those dorm room appliances that is subject to a pretty awesome informercial or two (albeit this one is from a relatively respected company). i could've returned it at the shops for something more useful but it's shiny, and i started thinking of all the inappropriate things i could shove in between two slices of bread then call it a "meal"--condiments? a whole frozen dinner? a can of soup? o, the non-possibilities.

my folks get a lot of food gifts. i generally do not. don't ask me why, you'd think people would know i would appreciate them. although, admittedly, i get a lot of cash. people know i REALLY appreciate cash. however, my parents get pretty nice coffee, chocolates, fruit baskets and even a ham or two. and panettone, an italian sweet bread, rich with eggs and butter, and usually flavoured with orange and dried fruit. they get lots of panettone. one of the family faves is one from williams-sonoma, which is studded throughout with whole glazed chestnuts.

so, i've been playin' around with the bread and the machine, making some fabulous if stupefyingly rich sandwiches of thin slices of panettone with a schmear of mascarpone cheese and a little orange marmalade, or sometimes chestnut cream. or try a thin bar of dark chocolate pressed in there. i have yet to try something more savoury, although i imagine a little parma or prosciutto and a good cheese would produce some mighty tasty results.

the only other thing has been french toast. which you know how to make, but you guys, here's something different!

fiori di sicilia, a baking flavouring that tastes a little orange blossom-y, with orange oil and vanilla essence. a couple drops of this and it enhances the existing citrus notes in the bread, and the very light vanilla touch complements the buttery sweetness. just don't overdo it or you'll have something like a cleaning product.

panettone french toast

2 thick slices of panettone

1 egg

1/2 c milk (scant cup)

pinch of salt

a couple drops of fiori di sicilia (this is optional, or you can use a drop of vanilla extract and/or a drop of orange extract) or a 1/2 tsp of orange zest

beat egg, combine well with milk, add salt and extracts. soak panettone slices in egg mixture. fry in pan or use cheap christmas present sandwich maker thing, in a tablespoon or so of melted butter, until golden.

do it clean

new year's food: hoppin' john, a traditional southern united states rice and beans dish, often eaten on new year's day, as it is thought to bring good luck and prosperity. now who wouldn't want a little of that? there are two main ingredients: black eyed peas (or field peas) and rice, often cooked together, but sometimes just mixed together or served side by side. also served alongside are cooked greens--generally collard or turnip greens, but also kale and chard (i used swiss red chard), because the greens supposedly add wealth as they are the colour of money. ah, if only that were true. many recipes call for bacon, ham, or fatback, but after all the excess of holiday eating, i just wanted to do it clean, with all the components cooked separately, and assembled on the plate. i soaked the bean overnight and cooked them according to the package, along with some onion, garlic and bay leaf. the rice was steamed and the chard sautéed with more onion, garlic, and a little bit of chili pepper. well, maybe a little more than that.

good luck, prosperity, and a numb tongue. it should be a good year.