Meat and Eggs in Various Combinations

I love meat, and I love eggs, and I especially love the two together. Here's a random sampling of various combinations:

Kabanosy with an overeasy egg and an English muffin. Kabanos is like a Polish Slim Jim, only a thousand times better.

Sucuk with scrambled eggs and an English muffin. Sucuk is a Turkish dry cured beef sausage, with a slightly sour tinge. I like it, but my husband doesn't.

Hamburger with an overeasy egg. There's something about a runny yolk on top of juicy beef.

Sunny-side-up egg cooked in a ham cup, on toast.

Bagel sandwich with black forest ham, scrambled egg, avocado, provolone and bacon. Mmm, bacon.

What are your favorite meat/egg combinations?

A Mishmash of Stuff I've Cooked

Yes, this is a copout post. But I've got a bunch of pictures that didn't warrant their own post, plus I cooked some stuff and didn't take pictures. So here goes.

Fried cauliflower. I vaguely remember blanching, oven-drying, and deep-frying. Tasty. But not worth doing again.

Kama, or Yellowtail collar. This is so simple, just salt, broil, done. And it looks like a duck.

Stuffed mushrooms. I've made them before. These had sausage, and I think a smoked oyster.

Panko-Parmesan-Parsley Pork Chops from urbanbundle. These were delicious.

I also did le pied de cochon again, but this time with a shank thrown in for more meat. Tasty.

And I made Noble Pig's kapusta, or sauerkraut with pork neck bones and hamhock. Hearty, wonderful Eastern European peasant food.

Oh, and I made a salad out of the 2 smoked chicken leg quarters I bought. I was going to do something all fancy with cranberries and stuff, but Hubby said "make it like you make your tuna salad". So I did. And it was good. (Celery, peperoncini, hot "sport" peppers, parsley, celery leaves, green onion, sumac, black pepper, sansyo, mayo or yogurt)

Tuscan Bean Stew with Sausage and Cabbage

After making the Creamy Cabbage and Potato Stew, I had about 2/3 of my monster cabbage left. Lucky me, I also had "zesty" Italian sausages in the freezer. A quick stop at the market for a pound of dried Great Northern beans, and I was ready to make The Bitten Word's Tuscan Bean Stew with Sausage and Cabbage.

See this beautiful fond?
















It went down the drain. I'm so ashamed. I was prepping the night before making the soup, and decided I could save some time the next day by sauteing the sausage then refrigerating overnight. Stupid stupid me.

Anyway. Moving on. Here's a picture of sauteing veggies. Just 'cause.
















When it came time to add the cabbage, I got a little worried. My trusty Descoware was too small! But I forgot that cabbage wilts quickly. So I was soon able to add more. Then wait a little. Then add more. Until I had what I thought was an appropriate ratio of cabbage to other stuff.
















Verdict? Very good soup. Sausage, greenery, beanery. How could you go wrong?

Frugal Friday Jambalaya

A while back I got a sample kit from McCormick of a bunch of Zatarain's products. I was expecting a box or 2 of stuff, but I ended up with 2 boxes of Jambalaya, 1 microwave pouch of Jambalaya, 1 box of Dirty Rice, 1 box of Red Beans and Rice, 3 boxes of Fish Fry, and 1 box of Crispy Southern Fish Fry. Awesome, no?

Tonight I was feeling lazy and a little broke, so I grabbed a box of Jambalaya, and a pound of smoked turkey sausage from the freezer. I cooked the jambalaya according to the package directions (except I fried the sausage ahead of time, and added it halfway through cooking the rice), and topped it with chopped tomatoes and green onion, and shredded cheese left over from taco night.

Verdict? Very good. A little too much liquid, I think I'll use 2 cups instead of 2.5 next time. Toppings were nice, but probably unnecessary.

How frugal was it? Let's see if I can break it down - one tomato ($0.40), 1 green onion ($0.07), handful of shredded cheese ($0.50), 1 lb smoked turkey sausage (don't remember, probably $4?), 1 box of Zatarain's Jambalaya (free, this time). I fed 3 people, plus leftovers for 2 lunches, for under $5. Nice.

Labor Day Barbecue

Hubby informed me yesterday morning that he wanted to do a Southern barbecue for Labor Day. Who am I to argue?















Hubby learned barbecue from his friend James, who spent a good chunk of his life in North Carolina. The barbecue sauce consists of a sweetish tangy bottled sauce, apple cider vinegar, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, hot pepper flakes. E&J Brandy or Jack Daniels is a nice addition. He mixes up a large batch in my roasting pan, and brings it to a simmer on the stove.















While that's simmering, he tosses the various meats in a little apple cider vinegar, and lights the coals. Various meats = chicken (any part), steak (boneless, usually tri-tip), pork ribs cut in 2-3 rib sections, and hot links. When the fire goes out on the coals, grilling starts. A nice char is the goal, with the meat almost cooked through. When each piece has a good amount of blackening, it goes into the simmering sauce. The whole pot simmers on very low for about an hour, with water added to thin it if necessary.















The result is an incredibly tasty falling-off-the bone protein-fest. Served with grilled corn and cole slaw.

Grilled Jalapeño Bratwurst

I was at Major Market in Escondido on Saturday to pick up a baguette. Of course, I can't just pick up a baguette.

While passing the wine aisles, then the cheese case, I saw a demo stand, where they were offering samples of their jalapeño bratwurst. The gentleman manning the station called me over to try a sample, freshly sliced off the tabletop grill, speared by a mustard-dipped pretzel. Mmm...sausage. It's made in-house, with pieces of jalapeño, bell pepper, onion, and tomato. I think the main protein was chicken, but I could be mistaken. Yup, I was mistaken, it's pork. Duh. Normally I shun sausages that try to mess with the pristine holiness of the pig, but I capitulated and bought a few links.

I decided to grill them up for our Memorial Day barbecue. The butcher gave me detailed instructions: microwave(!) one brat for one minute or two for two minutes, but don't nuke more than 2 at a time. Then finish on the grill until crispy & browned. I took his advice, and, oh am I glad I did. These were pretty close to the best darned sausages I've ever had. Hubby was prepared to hate them - I could tell by the look on his face and by the fact that he was perusing the fridge to see what else was available.

I grilled the sausages, and served them with mustard, red onion, caramelized yellow onion, and Nathan's pickles as condiments, on toasted buns. Hubby's first impression: "Oh my God, are you f-ing kidding me? These are the best bratwurst I've ever had." I agree.















And the fiddleheads I posted about earlier? I boiled them in salted water until they were slightly squishy, about 5 minutes, then sautéed them in olive oil and garlic. Delicious! Hubby asked if I could make them more often. Umm...they're only in season for about 6 minutes, and a small package at Trader Joe's cost me $5. So, no, not so often.















Rounding out the table was the remains of Chicken Old Ladies on a Bus, removed from their marmalade-y sauce and grilled until nicely caramelized and heated through, basted with more Stubbs hot BBQ sauce. Tasty, better than the first night, but definitely overshadowed by the bratwurst. All but one piece (wing) is back in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch.

Post #69 - Sausage & Sauerkraut

Three lovely Polish sausages in my freezer and a bag of fermented cabbage. What a wonderful combination (appeals to my Eastern Euro heritage, I guess).

1 lb Polish sausage (uncooked, uncured)
1 bag/jar sauerkraut
some onion
some garlic
one apple
broth / wine

Poke your sausages, cover with water, simmer until cooked through. Drain, remove casings if desired (I desired), cut in half crosswise and lengthwise. Brown them on both sides, remove from the pan.

Sauté onion and garlic for a bit, then the apple. Deglaze with wine/broth. Add the sauerkraut, salt & pepper. Nestle your happy pork products in amongst the cabbage, and add broth until it just doesn't cover the contents. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for however long you want.

Enjoy, on a plate, or in a roll, with some mustard.