Wisconsin-Style Grilled Brats

Before I met my husband, I probably had had a brat or two.  The truth is, though, I just can't remember eating one.  Why is that?  It's because his brats have wiped out all memory of any previous brat experience.  He grew up in Wisconsin, and as we all know, they take their sausage seriously there! 

He had to train me to make these just right, but he trained me well.  You'd think grilling brats was straight forward, but his method is not.  It does create a flavorful and juicy grilled sausage, though.  Trust me...you've never had a brat until you've tried this not-so-low-fat method!  (But if you're eating brats, you're probably not worried about fat intake, right???)  ;-)

Wisconsin-Style Grilled Brats

1 package of uncooked brats (When we can't get fresh brats from our local meats producer, my husband prefers Johnsonville sausages.)
1/2 onion, cut in half
1/2 bottle of beer (Cheap is okay; pilsener or another hoppy beer is best; don't use anything darker than an amber.)
1 Tbl butter

To serve:
Hot dog or hoagie buns
Sauerkraut
Chopped onions
A variety of mustards
Ketchup

Heat your grill to medium-high heat.  (My husband is a charcoal griller and says to use a little less charcoal than normal.) 

When your grill is almost ready, place the brats in cold water in a large pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Remove the brats to a plate.  Don't toss the water yet!

Grill your brats until they are brown and crispy, turning often and moving the brats around over the heat to evenly cook all of them (if grilling over charcoal).  You know when a side is done when it is dark brown and/or the brat starts to spurt fat.  If they start spurting fat, make sure to cover the grill to protect yourself.

While the brats are grilling, add the onion, beer and butter to the pot you used to simmer the brats in.  Cover and keep on a low simmer.

When the brats are done, place them back in the pot of water and simmer for at least 10 minutes.  When ready to serve, place the brats on a plate.  You can also keep extra brats warm in the water until you need them.

Serve with buns, sauerkraut, chopped onions, a variety of mustards and ketchup.

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Pub Food: Bangers and Mash

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day this week, I'd like to share one of my favorite pub foods: bangers and mash. I've traveled several times to England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, and it never fails that I eat this dish every time I go. Basically just sausages with mashed potatoes and a rich gravy, it's always filling and warming on those chilly, wet days on the Isles. I never really thought to make them at home until I ran across the Gastronomer's Guide's version. I adapted this recipe slightly and used Marksbury Farm's fresh bratwurst sausages--it was definitely a hit in my household and definitely easy to make on a cold, wet weekday in Kentucky!

I'm also entering this into The Daily Spud's Paddy's Day Food Parade--go check out the roundup of other Irish-related food on St. Patrick's Day!

Bangers and Mash
adapted from Gastronomer's Guide
Serves 4

For the mash:
2 lbs. of yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold, etc.), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2-4 Tbl butter
1/2-1 cup heavy cream (You can substitute milk or half and half here if you'd like.)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the bangers:
4-8 bratwurst sausages (depending on size of sausage and appetite of the eaters)
1 Tbl olive oil

For the gravy:
1 Tbl olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef broth, preferably homemade, but if store-bought, get the low-sodium.
1/4 tsp ground dried thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 Tbl butter
1 Tbl flour
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the mashed potatoes, place the cubed potatoes in cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and put them back into the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of the cream and a little salt and pepper. Mash with a hand masher. Add more cream if the potatoes seem dry. Mash until desired consistency. (I like them a little lumpy, but feel free to mash all of those lumps out!) Taste, and add salt, pepper, or butter to taste.

While the potatoes cook, make the sausages. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and sear the sausages until browned on all sides. Remove the sausages to a plate.

To make the gravy, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan if there isn't much left from searing the sausages. Add the shallots, and cook, stirring often until they are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the wine and scrape off the bits left on the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the sausages back into the pan, turn down the heat, and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until the sausages are cooked through, turning once or twice if the sausages aren't completely covered by liquid.

When the sausages are done, remove them to a plate. Increase the heat on the pan and reduce the sauce by about one third. Mix the butter and the flour in a bowl with a fork until smooth. Add to the sauce to thicken, whisking constantly. Continue to cook for a few minutes until it reaches your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return the sausages to the pan to rewarm.

Serve the sausages and gravy over the mashed potatoes.

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My Newly-Perfected Lasagna

Over the summer, I made a boatload of my favorite lasagna sauce out of tomatoes I picked at our CSA's farm (37 pounds to be exact)! I spent the better part of three days cleaning, peeling, and quartering the tomatoes and then making the sauce (out of mostly local and organic vegetables). I then froze it--enough to make nine lasagnas!

I made my fallback lasagna a few weeks ago, and it just wasn't exactly what I wanted. My husband agreed and suggested I add a bechamel sauce to it. I did, and the results were great! I am proud to announce that I have now perfected my lasagna. I have to warn you, though, that this lasagna is time intensive. I suggest you make extra sauce the first time you make this and freeze it so that the first step is already taken care of when you want to make your next lasagna. This lasagna also freezes well, either before baking (just defrost it before you want to use it and bake as directed) or after baking. If you freeze it after baking, you can cut it into meal-sized portions, freeze it in tupperware, defrost it and either bake it in the oven until warm (my preference) or microwave it for a quick meal.

Meaty Lasagna with Tomato Sauce and Bechamel
adapted from New Basics Cookbook and The Art of Simple Food


Tomato Sauce (makes 6 cups):
4 1/2 pounds sauce tomatoes, such as Roma, peeled, cored and quartered, reserving one cup of the juice (or 2 35-ounce cans whole plum tomatoes)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup red wine
2 Tbl tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbl dried oregano
2 Tbl fresh basil, chopped (or 2 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of dried red pepper flakes
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Sugar (to taste, if needed)

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, carrot and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onions and garlic have wilted, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, reserved juice, wine, tomato paste, and remaining ingredients except for the sugar. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring once. Remove the cover and simmer another 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the sauce has simmered, break down the tomatoes with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Taste--if the sauce is too bitter or acidic, add a little sugar, starting with a teaspoonful until the flavors are to your liking. Continue simmering until the juices have become thick and saucy.

Bechamel Sauce:
3 Tbl unsalted butter
3 Tbl flour
2 cups milk (I used 2%.)
Salt
Pinch of nutmeg
2 Tbl freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in the flour. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the milk bit by bit, whisking constantly. To avoid lumps, completely whisk in each addition of milk before adding the next. If your sauce is still lumpy, you can strain it through a sieve after all the milk has been added and return it to the burner to cook. Bring the milk mixture slowly to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down to a bare simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking.

After about 20 minutes, season with salt and the nutmeg. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning--feel free to add more salt or cheese if needed. The sauce should be thick, but pourable. Use right away or keep warm to prevent it from solidifying.

Lasagna:
2 Tbl olive oil
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 Italian sausage (or mild sausage with 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes sprinkled in)
5 cups Tomato Sauce (see above)
4 Tbl fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese (one large tub)
1 cup cooked spinach, chopped and well-drained
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbl dried oregano
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
8 lasagna noodles, cooked until not quite tender
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 cups bechamel sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, sausage, red pepper flakes (if using), and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat, until it is browned. Drain and set aside.

Place the tomato sauce in a large saucepan. Add the meat and 2 tablespoons of the parsley and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, oregano, nutmeg, and pepper. Mix well.

Place 2 cups of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with about 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers of tomato sauce, bechamel, noodles, ricotta and mozzarella. Top with the remaining tomato sauce, bechamel, and 1 cup of mozarella, sprinkled evenly over the top.

Cover the dish loosely with foil, place it on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

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Warm Chickpeas and Chorizo

Because I lived in Spain for a year after college as an au pair, I have a soft spot in my heart (and stomach) for Spanish food. It's flavorful, fresh, and often inexpensive. The other night I made a tortilla española (a Spanish omelet), and because of its rusticity and simplicity, I like to pair it with a flavorful but simple side. Normally, I like to make a gazpacho to go with it, but this time I was low on tomatoes, so made this dish. It comes together in about 10-15 minutes and tastes great at room temperature. You can even make it ahead and keep it in the fridge, but make sure to warm it up a little to get those oils flowing again!

Spanish chorizo is a cured, hard sausage. I buy it at a local liquor store that happens to carry a lot of imported foods. If you can't find it, I'm sure you could improvise with another hard, strongly flavored sausage. (But don't use the uncooked Mexican version of chorizo!)

Warm Chickpeas and Chorizo
Serves 4 as a small side dish



1 Tbl olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp paprika (Spanish if you have it)
1/2 cup Spanish chorizo, halved lengthwise and sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbl roughly chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onions and sauté until softened. Add the chickpeas, garlic and paprika and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes. Add the chorizo and sauté for another five minute, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt and pepper to season. Add chopped parsley and stir. Serve warm.

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A Festival in Regensburg, Germany = Music, Sausages and Beer!

Ahhh....summer in Europe, and in Germany in particular, is rife with outdoor festivals full of food, music and, of course, beer! Before moving back to the United States, we took a two-week vacation (for me) and work (for my husband) trip around Germany and Austria. Luckily we rented a car, so we were able to stay in a few larger cities and make several day trips. One such trip was to Regensburg, a beautiful little city on the Danube. At first, we couldn't figure out why the parking lots were jam packed, but once we drove past one of the main streets in the old town, we realized that they were holding a summer festival that day! (My husband, who spent a summer in Regensburg a few years back, says that there are many, many festivals that are held throughout the summer months there...)

The festival had food, drink and wares booths as well as several music venues set up all over the old town. One of my favorites was this juice/wine booth, where you could get several flavors of non-alcoholic juice or wine mixed with juice. The punch bowls were just beautiful!


There were also several outdoor ovens where they would make your pizza for you right then and there:


And of course, there were oompa bands--which my daughter thoroughly enjoyed!


We went for the traditional sausages and beer...all freshly grilled and tapped.


And if that wasn't enough, my daughter begged for one of these gigantic donuts! I just couldn't resist... (She never finished this monstrosity, thank goodness!)


I'll be posting more of our German fare in the next week or so, along with some of the recipes for my CSA veggies, so come back for more!

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My Last Day at the Strasbourg Market

A couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law and her friend visited us in Strasbourg. One of the places I like to take visitors is the bi-weekly outdoor market near our house. Europe's markets never fail to impress friends and family since most of them live in places that don't have this luxury. That day, we ended buying a lunch of sausage, cheese, a baguette and cherries...the best kind of lunch!

The sausage was encrusted in herbes de provence, and had a very fresh sausage smell (aka pork). I wasn't so crazy about it because I'm picky about pork, but everyone else loved it.


And the cherries right now in France are almost irresistible. As the sign says, "Everyone enjoys cherries!"


I bought so many cherries that I ended up making a quick bread with them. (Stay tuned for the results of that one!)


And one of my favorite finds of the day was this strawberry nectar. Who doesn't like a little freshly pressed strawberry juice?! The man selling it suggested we try adding a little water/sparkling water to it, but I liked it as is.


As it turns out this was my last trip to the market in Strasbourg, and I'm really going to miss it, as I will a lot of things about France, but living here has really opened my eyes to cooking with fresh, in-season ingredients, and I'm hoping that I can sustain that when I return to Kentucky in three weeks.

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Monday Mouthful: Cassoulet

It's now Thursday, and I'm just able to get to the most recent Monday Mouthful challenge, Cassoulet. I was super excited to try this out when ChefE chose it, but the fates were conspiring against me. I had houseguests for ten days, and at first I thought it would be perfect for guests...until I realized that my sister-in-law doesn't like legumes. On Sunday night, I was in a little panic, and finally decided to make a small batch and feed her something else. But then Monday was a holiday here, which means everything is closed. Since then, I just haven't had time to make this. Until today.

I'm so glad I did! I wasn't sure how I'd make it. My husband has been really busy at work, and that means I'm the main caregiver during the day for my three-year-old daughter, which in turn means that I'm not at liberty to make anything that takes a lot of hands-on time. Couple that with the fact that we've eaten a ton of poultry in the last week and a half because the other houseguest didn't eat red meat, and so I wasn't so excited about another dish with poultry.


I consulted marmiton.org, a French recipe site, to see what it had to offer in the ways of cassoulet, and combined several recipes for what you find below. I'm claiming it as mine. I settled for two types of sausages common in France: the chipolata and the saucisson à l'ail (smoked garlic sausage). If you're not in France, both can be subsituted with your favorite smoked and unsmoked sausages. Also, feel free to throw in some duck (which is common in cassoulet) or even some chicken. Mutton is also an option.

This dish is warming and flavorful, and is easily adapted to what you have on hand. It will definitely make my winter-time repertoire!

Mindy's Cassoulet

A little less than 1/2 pound of bacon, cut into matchsticks
Olive oil
1 pound of tomatoes, or 1 14.5 oz can tomato puree
2 small leeks, cut in half and sliced
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 large cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 bouquet garni
4 chipolata sausages (or another type of uncooked sausage)
1 smoked garlic sausage (or other type of smoked sausage), sliced
Pepper to taste

In a large heavy pot, cook the bacon in a tiny bit of olive oil until crispy and remove from the pot. While the bacon is cooking, boil water in a small pot. Cut an "X" at the bottom of each tomato and place in the boiling water for one minute. Remove and plunge into cold water. When cool enough to handle, remove the skins, cut into quarters and puree in a food processor or blender. Set aside.

When the bacon is done and removed, add the vegetables and cook for a few minutes until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add a little oil if it seems dry. Add the reserved bacon, tomato puree, beans, bouquet garni and sausages. Add enough water to almost cover the mixture. Add some pepper and mix.

Cook on low heat for two hours. If it doesn't seem thick enough for you after about 1 1/2 hours, uncover and simmer until thickened. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

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Christmas Dinner Revisited--Choucroute Garnie

I'm back, after a ton of holiday house guests (which I absolutely loved having), lots of day trips, a trip to Paris for New Year's, and a two-week vacation in Spain with my husband and daughter (which included getting the flu during our last few days there). I am now recovered and ready to cook again!

Christmas dinner was a fun treat for us because we were able to cook a traditional Alsatian dish for our family--choucroute garnie. Choucroute garnie is an artery-clogger, alright, but since it's the dish of Strasbourg, we just had to make it. Basically, it's a variety of sausages and sauerkraut cooked in Alsatian white wine, and is yummmmmy.

Choucroute Garnie (from Bon Apétit)


1 3/4 pounds smoked meaty hamhocks
1 pound fully cooked bratwurst
8 ounces thick-sliced bacon strips, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
2 large onions, chopped
1 teaspoons juniper berries (optional)
1 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
10 whole cloves
8 whole allspice
3 bay leaves
3 Red Delicious apples, unpeeled, cored, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 2-pound jars sauerkraut, squeezed dry
2 pounds fully cooked kielbasa, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
1 pound fully cooked knockwurst--**I would suggest putting these in during the last 15 minutes of cooking, as mine started splitting and turned ugly, even if they tasted good.
2 cups Alsatian Pinot Blanc or other dry white wine (I used Alsatian Riesling...more flavor than Pinot Blanc.)
2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Assorted mustards

Place ham hocks in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Transfer hocks to medium bowl. Boil broth until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Place hock meat in medium bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover hock meat and broth separately; chill.) **I've found that this makes much more than 2 cups of stock. I usually freeze the rest for other uses.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bratwurst and bacon. Sauté until bacon is crisp and bratwurst is brown, about 10 minutes. Place in bowl with hock meat.

Add onions, spices and bay leaves to same pot. Sauté until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add apples; sauté 2 minutes. Mix in sauerkraut. Add all meats; press to submerge. Add reserved broth and wine. Boil 10 minutes. Cover choucroute and bake 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 18 minutes. Drain; cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half. Dip cut sides into parsley. Arrange sauerkraut and meats on platter. Surround with potatoes. Serve with mustards.

I didn't get any pictures of the spread, unfortunately. These are actually pictures that my mom took since my brother, who was transporting our new, lovely camera, was delayed until Christmas day, and his luggage was delayed until that night. We went for simplicity with the meal since the choucroute is such a heavy dish...some white asparagus with aioli and steamed green bean bundles wrapped and baked in bacon. Of course, wine was abundant, and we sampled our way through several Alsatian wines: Sylvaner, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and a local brandy called "eau-de-vie." Good thing none of us were driving that night! ;-)

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