Global Linkage

Sausage is one of the oldest and still one of the best devices for separating the gourmets from the gourmands. Hungry neophytes generally recognize sausage as something you wolf down with your eggs in the morning or nibble from a cocktail spear at night. But across the ages men who've searched the deeper reaches of the sausage cornucopia have come up with some of the world's greatest masterpieces of flavoring. It is a horn of plenty filled with hot Spanish chorizos, mellow Polish kielbasas, French garlic sausages, hard Hungarian salami, fat German Wursts, hot Virginia sausage meat – in fact, any chopped meat nestling inside a casing as well as some chopped meats outside their casings.

Sausage fancying stretches back into antiquity. The ancient Greeks spoke affectionately of their beloved oryae, the blood brother of the fresh pork link as it exists today. It has always been traditional among sausage connoisseurs to handle a sausage on the fire as carefully and tenderly as possible. You cook the sausage until it's well done but juicy, and this means intelligent coddling. It was a technique known to Homer, who wrote, "As when a man near a great glowing fire turns to and fro a sausage, full of fat and blood, anxious to have it quickly roast, so to and fro Odysseus tossed ..."

When Romans sought future benefits from their gods, they didn't offer up mere slabs of meat on the altar, but sausages made from the tenderest young suckling pigs available. Most popular of all ancient Roman sausages was one stuffed with fresh pork, bacon, pine nuts, cuminseed and bay leaves. It was the link that turned the annual Lupercalian and Floralian festivals into sausage orgies. So uninhibited were the debauches, and so identified with sausage, that Constantine the Great issued his famous decree prohibiting sausage eating. Needless to say, a thriving bootlegging industry emerged until, several emperors later, the infamous prohibition was repealed after much popular protest.

The emperor Heliogabalus devoured sausages containing shrimp and crab meat, a combination which wasn't able to hold its own in the sausage arena for very long. The most happy stuffing always has been pork. There are pure pork sausages, pork and beef, pork and veal, pork with bacon and kirsch, and there are all-beef sausages, those containing chicken and partridge, and even sausages of foie gras. There are sausages of fresh meat and smoked meat, canned sausages and air-cured sausages. Some are as hard as the Italian pepperoni (which yields reluctantly to an ax) and others as soft and docile as the German teawurst used for spreading on Melba toast. The names of many sausages celebrate the city in which they originated, like the Genoa, the Bologna and the Lyons. Altruistically, the frankfurter is called the wienerwurst in Frankfurt, Germany, while in Vienna, the same sausage is sold as the frankfurter. Certain sections of the United States, such as the Smithfield area of Virginia or the Pennsylvania Dutch country, are illustrious cradles of sausage making. But varieties and geography notwithstanding, when one asks, "What's in a name?," in the case of sausage the answer is, "Plenty." Many brand names represent the highest echelon of the sausage aristocracy. Such names as Citterio in Italy, Herz in Hungary, and in the United States, Deerfoot, Jones, and Schaller & Weber, like old proprietary names of distillers, are probably the best, and certainly the safest, possible guides to succulent sausage eating.

Sausage can be worked into many good things – with shirred eggs, with waffles, with mixed grills, in poultry stuffings and pasta sauces, floating on rich soup purées and in all kinds of casseroles. For bachelor chefs, however, one of its greatest utilities is at the cocktail table. At the martini hour, consider Thuringer, cervelat and Genoa salami. Thuringer is a mixture of beef and pork; cervelat is a bologna, usually without garlic, and with a deep sweet smoky flavor; Genoa salami is the pepper-flecked, air-dried, hard Italian appetizer. In shops, you'll often find all three dangling from rafters, because they not only keep well in a cool, ventilated room, but actually mellow and improve with aging. For cocktails they must be sliced as thin as paper and served biting cold. Arrange them on a chilled platter. (To maintain the proper temperature, let the platter be small, and replenish it from time to time.) They may be picked up and eaten by hand, but are more toothsome placed on rounds of thin Italian fried bread or on Melba toast rounds which are unbuttered and undecorated.

In cooking hot sausages, the golden rule for the chef is very simple: Do unto the sausage as little as possible. Let the sausage link be cooked but remain in its own original profile, sizzling in its own natural flavors and spices. This doesn't mean that your imagination must stop every time you contemplate cooking sausages. But the main goal of the sausage chef is to provide the right setting, the appreciative garnishes, the sauces that coax rather than bully. Plump hot wienerwursts with plain cabbage should remain plump hot wienerwursts, even though they're set atop mountains of sauerkraut cooked in Rhine wine and juniper berries. The only notable exception to this rule occurs when you make your own sausage meat; that is, when you buy ground pork – as in the sausage quenelle recipe on page 143 – and when you are free to regale the meat with herbs, spices or wines to your heart's and your stomach's content.

As salt goes with pepper, sausage goes with beer. The beer should be cold and the sausage should be sizzling hot. Needless to say, the food-and-drink combination of both temperature poles at the same table couldn't possibly be improved upon.

The following recipes serve four.

[recipe_title]Bratwurst, Sauerkraut in White Wine[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 lb. bratwurst[/recipe]

[recipe]27-oz. can sauerkraut, drained, rinsed in cold water[/recipe]

[recipe]4 slices bacon, minced fine[/recipe]

[recipe]1 medium-size onion, minced fine[/recipe]

[recipe]2/3 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]12 juniper berries, chopped fine[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 cups chicken broth[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons sugar Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 1/4 lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon Düsseldorf or Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup hot melted butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon minced parsley[/recipe]

Preheat oven at 400°. Place bratwurst in shallow pan in oven. Bake uncovered, 30 minutes, turning when necessary to brown evenly. Put sauerkraut, bacon, onion, wine, juniper berries, chicken broth and sugar in a saucepan and mix well. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce flame and simmer slowly, stirring frequently, until liquid barely covers pan bottom. Avoid scorching. Season with salt and pepper. Put egg yolks, lemon juice and mustard in well of electric blender. Spin blender a few seconds. Slowly, while running blender at high speed, add butter, about a tablespoon at a time, until it is completely absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add parsley. Arrange bratwurst over sauerkraut on platter or casserole. Pass sauce separately. If sauce is not served at once, keep warm, not hot, until needed.

[recipe_title]Country Sausages Provençale, Rice Pilaf[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 lb. fresh country sausage links[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 medium-size onions, minced fine[/recipe]

[recipe]2 medium-size cloves garlic, minced fine[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]19-oz. can tomatoes, drained, coarsely chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons parsley, minced fine Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. mushrooms, small dice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. chicken livers, small dice[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups chicken broth[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup long-grain rice[/recipe]

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan. Add half the onions and all the garlic. Sauté until onions turn yellow. Add wine and simmer until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add tomatoes and parsley. Simmer slowly 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. In another saucepan melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add remaining onions, mushrooms and livers. Sauté until livers are light brown. Add chicken broth and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Add rice and mix well. Reduce flame as low as possible. Cook, covered, without stirring, until rice is tender – about 20 minutes. Place sausages in a frying pan with 1/2 cup water. Cook until water evaporates. Continue cooking over a low flame until sausage is well browned on all sides – about 20 minutes. Place mounds of rice on serving plates. To form mounds, dip coffee cup in hot water, pack firmly with rice, place cup upside down on side of dinner plate. Holding plate and cup together, shake vigorously until rice unmolds. Place sausages alongside rice. Pour sauce on top of sausages.

[recipe_title]Smoked Sausages, Mixed Grill[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 lb. smoked country sausages, thick links[/recipe]

[recipe]8 slices bacon[/recipe]

[recipe]8 large mushrooms[/recipe]

[recipe]2 large firm ripe tomatoes Salad oil Salt, pepper, paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]4 lamb kidneys[/recipe]

[recipe]4 slices eggplant, 1/2 in. thick Ground cuminseed Butter[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 1 lemon[/recipe]

Preheat broiler. Place bacon in cold frying pan and sauté slowly until half done. Remove bacon from pan. Let fat remain. Add mushrooms and sauté until they just begin to soften. Remove from fire. Cut out stem ends of tomatoes and cut each tomato in half crosswise. Brush each half with salad oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Remove fat from kidneys. Cut each kidney through center, but do not separate into halves. Fasten a skewer through kidneys to hold firmly open for broiling. Brush eggplant generously with oil. Rub cuminseed on both sides of eggplant. Place sausages in shallow pan in oven section. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, turning when (concluded on page 143)Global Linkage(continued from page 98) necessary to brown evenly. Place tomatoes, kidneys, mushrooms and eggplant in a shallow pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika and place under broiler flame. Broil until tender, turning once. Each food should be checked for tenderness from time to time and removed from the fire when necessary. At the last moment finish cooking bacon under broiler flame. Arrange sausage, tomatoes, kidneys, bacon, mushrooms and eggplant on large platter. Brush with butter and sprinkle with lemon juice.

[recipe_title]Italian Sausages with Gnocchi[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 lb. Italian thick sausage links, hot or sweet or mixed[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup farina[/recipe]

[recipe]2 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]Grated parmesan cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]15-1/2-oz. can marinara sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]Salad oil[/recipe]

Bring 3 cups water in a saucepan to a rapid boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Slowly stir in farina, mixing well. Reduce flame as low as possible and cook 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Separate egg yolks from whites. Beat yolks well. Beat whites until stiff. Remove farina from fire and add butter and 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, stirring well until butter melts. Add 2 tablespoons water to yolks. Slowly stir yolks into farina. Stir in whites, mixing thoroughly. Pour farina into a greased shallow pan or pie plate. When slightly cooled, cover with wax paper and place in refrigerator to chill overnight or at least 4 hours, until mixture is very firm. When ready to make gnocchi, invert pan onto cutting board, removing farina mixture. Cut into dice about 1/2 in. thick. Turn gnocchi into shallow baking pan. Pour marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and oil. Bake in oven preheated at 375° for 30 minutes or until top is browned. While gnocchi is baking, place sausage links in shallow pan in oven. Pierce each link with fork to keep it from bursting. Bake 30 minutes, or longer, until sausage is well browned, turning when necessary.

[recipe_title]Scrambled Eggs, Sausage Quenelles[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3/4 lb. ground lean pork[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small onion, diced[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon ground sage[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon ground marjoram[/recipe]

[recipe]2 egg whites[/recipe]

[recipe]7-oz. bottle imported sauce Diable[/recipe]

[recipe]Butter[/recipe]

[recipe]8 eggs, well beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]4 slices toast, cut in half diagonally[/recipe]

Put cream, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, sage and marjoram in well of electric blender. Spin about 10 seconds. Add egg whites and 1/4 of the meat. Run blender until meat is puréed. Gradually add remainder of meat in small batches until well blended. Use a rubber spatula to force meat toward blender blades if necessary. Using a tablespoon, shape meat into small oval mounds and place in a shallow greased saucepan. (Cook in two batches if necessary. Quenelles should be cooked in a single layer in pan.) Cover quenelles with boiling water. Place over moderate flame. Simmer slowly, with pan covered, 15 minutes. Heat sauce Diable in saucepan, but do not boil. In a large pan for scrambling eggs melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add eggs and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir constantly. As soon as eggs begin to set, add 3 more tablespoons butter. Cook until eggs are soft scrambled. Place a portion of eggs on each serving dish. Alongside eggs place pieces of toast. Place sausage quenelles on top of eggs. Spoon sauce Diable on top of quenelles.

[recipe_title]Sausage Cakes, Truffle Sauce, Potato Bordure[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 lb. fresh sausage meat[/recipe]

[recipe]Butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced onions[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced celery[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons flour[/recipe]

[recipe]12-oz. can chicken broth[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup tomato juice[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons madeira wine[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons brandy[/recipe]

[recipe]7/8-oz. can black truffles, minced[/recipe]

[recipe]Brown gravy coloring[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]6 large-size Idaho potatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]Light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon finely minced fresh chives[/recipe]

Cut sausage meat, or shape by hand, into 8 equal flat patties. Sauté onions and celery in 3 tablespoons butter in saucepan. Add tarragon. Let onions become golden brown. Stir in flour. Slowly stir in chicken broth and tomato juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce flame and simmer slowly 1/2 hour. Strain sauce. Add madeira, brandy and truffles, and enough brown gravy coloring to give sauce a rich brown color. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Peel potatoes and boil until very soft. Drain and mash potatoes. Add 2 tablespoons butter and enough light cream to make potatoes of medium-thick consistency. Add chives and salt and pepper to taste. Keep in a double boiler over warm water until needed. Place sausage cakes in a shallow pan or skillet. Sauté without added fat, until well browned on both sides. Place sausage cakes in shirred-egg dishes or individual casseroles. Using a pastry bag and tube, make a border of potatoes around edge of each dish or casserole. Pour hot truffle sauce over sausage cakes.

Endlessly varied in its size and shape, color and consistency, the sausage serves as a delectable link to gourmandise in almost every country of the world. You'll know why when you've sampled these recipes.