Homemade Hot Italian Sausage!

It's easy to make sausage and you don't even need one of those crazy machines to squeeze the goo thru into some caseing made of mysterious intestinal fabric... Don't get me wrong - I'm not a snausage hater, it's probably just for the best if I don't overthink the whole process and procedures for making a link!  So when I saw this recipe in the April 2012 Chatelaine Magazine - I knew I had to make it BUT I knew I was going to make it with a leaner cut - a pork tenderloin, rather than the ground pork that you would buy from the grocery store.  I asked the butcher and he told me that they actually do add fat to the mix to make it juicier - no sir, not for me!!  So I whipped out my trusty food processor and made my own ground pork!

Hot Italian Sausage (adapted from Chatelaine Magazine)
Ingredients:
1 medium pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
2 tsp ground fennel
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 dried red chilis, ground

Method:
Make sure all of the spices are ground together (I made sure to keep some bigger fennel seed chunks b/c I love biting into them in the sausage).   Set aside.

Cut the tenderloin up into about 4 or 5 large pieces and chuck into the food processor.  Pulse until it's coarsely chopped then add the spices - keep pulsing until it looks like the ground meet you would pick up at the butchers.

Wondering if you have the spices right?  Here's a little trick - heat up a non-stick frying pan and fry up a couple of tablespoon shized mini-meatballs.  Cook until brown and no longer pink inside - take a taste - if you're satisfied with the amount of spice, garlic, pepper, etc then you're good to go!  If not, add some more of what's missing (for me on this batch, it wasn't spicy enough, so I upped the amount of chili!)

World's smallest frying pan - about 5" in diameter!
Not a doll's frying pan either!

Divide the meat mixture into 2 halves and then roll into little meat logs - twist at the ends, place in a ziplock and freeze until ready to use (but at least 2 hours!)

When you're ready to cook with your snausage, remove from freezer and let stand for about 20 minutes.  You can cook crumbled in a sauce like I did, or slice and pan fry. 

To make a super easy pasta sauce, cook one of the sausage logs in a tablespoon of oil, breaking up as it cooks.  I also added a chopped up red bell pepper and a can of San Marzano tomatoes.  Cook through for about 25 minutes and serve over your fave pasta! 

I reserved a cup of the meat sauce for stuffed peppers later in the week!

Watch for Quinoa Stuffed Peppers later this week!

Sausage Lentil Soup with Spinach

Yesterday I made a really quick delicious soup using all pantry items and fridge/freezer staples.  Cooks up quick and ready for the table in about an hour!  Check it out:

Sausage Lentil Soup with Spinach
Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
3 Italian sausages (hot or mild, depending on your families heat tolerance)
1 medium sided onion, diced
2 leeks, white part only, chopped fine
3 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped not minced
1 small can tomato paste
2 cups chopped baby spinach
1 can lentils, drained and rinsed
4 cups good quality chicken stock + 1 cup water
1 tsp ground coriander
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste
parmesan petals for garnish

Method:

Heat a large, wide saucepan over medium. Add oil, then sausages. Brown sausages, turning occasionally, 4 to 6 min. Remove to a plate.

Add onion, leek, carrots and garlic to the same pan. Cook until onion starts to soften, about 3 min.

Meanwhile, thinly slice sausages. Stir in tomato paste, coriander, salt, sausages and any juices.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until flavour develops, 5 more min. Pour in chicken stock, pepper, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil. Stir in spinach and lentils and reduce heat to medium. Cover and gently boil, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. 

Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.  This soup also freezes really well - if you have any left-overs, freeze in individual gladwares and it's an easy lunch to go!!

Italian Sausage & Vegetable Soup

Do you ever wake up at 3:30am and not been able to fall back asleep?  I tossed and turned and finally got up at 5:30am and prepped this soup for the slow-cooker.  Hope you enjoy!

Italian Sausage & Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
3 sweet Italian sausages
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
1 cup white navy beans
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 cans whole tomatoes, including juice, crushed by hand
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper

Method:
Squeeze the sausage out of the casings, forming little "balls" as you go.  In patches, brown in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, chop all vegetables and add all ingredients into the slowcooker.  Add the sausage balls.  Set the slowcooker on low for 6-8 hours. 

When I got home from work, I cooked up a cup of rotini pasta and added to the bowls when serving.  Garnish with fresh parmesan and serve!!