French Merguez Sausages Culinary Communion Food

CLASSIC FRENCH MERGUEZ RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Toast cumin, fennel, and coriander seeds in a dry skillet set over medium heat, constantly stirring, for about 2 minutes, until they become fragrant. Be very careful not to overcook, and worst still, burn the spices.
• Once toasted, allow seeds to cool and process them in a spice grinder.
• Add toasted, ground seeds to paprika, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.
• Place ground lamb in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle spice mixture, chopped herbs, crushed garlic, and salt over meat. Mix seasonings into meat.
• The seasoned meat can then be either formed into patties, the size and shape of your choice, or, fill bought sausage casings with lamb mixture. For this, you will need a sausage stuffer attachment often sold for stand mixers , or a stuffing machine.
• Once made, chill before using.
• Cook patties or sausages or simply fry until cooked through.
• Serve stuffed into a bun, pita, or slice and serve in Middle Eastern flatbreads.

FRENCH MERGUEZ SAUSAGES - CULINARY COMMUNION

Steps:

• Marinate: toss the lamb, fatback, and dry seasonings together, then chill well (at least 2 hours).
• Grind: grind meat mixture through grinder using a medium plate (1/4-inch) into a mixing bowl over an ice bath.
• Mix and develop protein: in an electric mixer, mix on low speed for 1 minute, adding the red wine a little at a time. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds, or until the sausage mixture is sticky to the touch.
• Make a tester: make a test patty and pan fry. Adjust the seasoning and consistency if necessary before putting sausage into casings.
• Stuff: stuff the sausage into the prepared casings and twist into 15-inch links. Cut into individual links. Make a spiral with each link and secure with a 6-inch skewer.
• Cook: the sausage is now ready to prepare for eating by pan frying, baking, grilling, or broiling to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F, or hold under refrigeration for up to 7 days.
• Notes: regarding the links -- we don't make the 15-inch links, we make links about 4 inches long, twisting them into link-shape as we're filling the casings. It's up to you, of course, how you make them. These sausages are absolutely delicious, and I hope you'll try the recipe! The recipe appear to definitely be a French version of Merguez, rather than the Turnisian version -- all I know is that they're very, very tasty. :).

RACK OF LAMB AND MERGUEZ SAUSAGE

Steps:

• For the lamb marinade and sausages:.
• Combine the oil, vinegar, honey and mustard in a large resealable plastic bag. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lamb to the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (or overnight).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Heat a heavy ovenproof skillet over high heat until hot. Meanwhile, pat the lamb dry and discard the marinade. Add the oil to the hot skillet, then brown the racks of lamb on all sides, about 3 minutes. Add the sausages, shallots and rosemary to the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the lamb registers 140 degrees F (60 degrees C), about 25 minutes. Transfer the lamb and sausages to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm and allow the juices to redistribute. Discard the shallots and rosemary and reserve the skillet.
• For the sauce:.
• Add the veal stock to the skillet and bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Let the sauce reduce for about 5 minutes or until it reaches the desired consistency. Whisk in the butter, if using, and season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the lamb between the bones and serve with the sausages, Crispy Potatoes, a ladle of the sauce and a dollop of Spicy Red Pepper Jelly.
• Crispy Potatoes:.
• Heat the canola oil in a deep fryer to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Fry the potatoes for about 2 minutes to blanch them. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet to rest for 5 minutes. Raise the oil temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry the potatoes again until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to fresh paper towels to drain.
• Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and toss with the paprika, smoked salt, red pepper flakes, chives, garlic, parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Spicy Red Pepper Jelly:.
• Pulse the bell peppers and chile pepper in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a saucepan and add the sugar, vinegar, ginger, salt and lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until it thickens, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Pour the jelly into a jar. Let cool, then store in the refrigerator.

MERGUEZ

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except casings and olive oil in a mixing bowl and mix well with your hands.Fry a small amount as a test and adjust seasonings to taste. It should be somewhat hot and the cinnamon should be balanced by the herbs.
• Using the sausage stuffing attachment of a stand mixer, stuff the casings with the mixture and twist and tie to make 4-inch links. Alternatively, shape into 3-inch lozenges, slightly fatter in the middle, formed around metal skewers, or simply into small patties.
• Heat the grill or broiler. If the sausages are in casings, prick them with a fork 2 to 3 times and brush with oil. Grill or broil them 3-4 minutes each side until cooked through. For lozenges or patties, brush with a little oil and grill about 3 minutes each side, or saute the patties in a little oil over high heat.

COUSCOUS SAUSAGE MEDITERRANEAN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add the crumbled sausage and cook until it is mostly browned, about 7-9 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Careful not to let it burn!) Reduce heat to medium.
• Add the tomato and basil and cook until tomato softens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Quick now, cook the couscous: bring broth to a boil, add couscous; remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir and fluff with a fork.
• Mix cooked sausage mixture with the cooked couscous and crumbled feta (if using). Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and squeeze over a bit of freshly squeeze lemon or lime juice. Serve!
• Servings: about 6.
• Mike's suggestions for substitutions/additions: 1 Tbsp finely chopped calamata olive, chopped mushroom, chopped artichoke heart, chopped sundried tomato, sautéed fennel, spinach, chopped cucumber.
• As far as sausage goes, we use our homemade lamb-based French Merguez (also posted here at http://www.food.com/recipe/french-merguez-sausages-culinary-communion-340487) which is astoundingly good. But a flavorful Italian sausage would be good, too. Seasoned turkey sausage would be fine if you want to make it even leaner. Or hey, mmm, chorizo! You can even use vegetarian no-meat sausage, if you like - just pay attention to the seasonings so it doesn't turn out tasting bland.
• Re tomatoes: I dislike cooked tomato peel, so I prefer to not use cherry tomatoes for this dish. Regular chopped fresh tomato is my preference.
• This is a really versatile recipe, you can substitute ingredients to achieve whatever flavor profile you want. Also, we get our couscous in bulk because otherwise it's far too expensive to buy in prepackaged little boxes.

MERGUEZ SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Put the lamb in a mixing bowl and add the ingredients up to and including the minced garlic. Blend the mixture thoroughly by hand. To test the sausage for seasoning, shape a small portion into a patty. Cook the patty in a lightly-oiled skillet and season to taste.
• Shape the mixture into eight equal balls then flatten each into a patty.
• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and add the patties. You may do this in two batches, depending on the skillet size. Cook the patties for 8 minutes, turning when necessary. Drain on paper towels.