Veal Sausage With Calvados Food

VEAL SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
• Combine the veal and pork fatback with the shallot mixture, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, coriander, sugar and 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a large plastic zip-top bag and refrigerate overnight.
• At least 30 minutes before grinding the meat, place all of your tools (including the meat grinder parts, stand mixer bowl, stand mixer paddle attachment and sausage stuffer parts) in the freezer to chill.
• Using your meat grinder, grind the marinated meat mixture twice through the small die plate into the chilled bowl of the stand mixer. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, then return the mixture to the mixer and beat on medium speed using the chilled paddle attachment, 45 to 60 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Stuff the sausages (see Cook's Note) and, for best results, refrigerate overnight.
• Before cooking, pierce each sausage several times with a pin. Grill over medium heat until the center registers 150 degrees F, 10 to 12 minutes. (You can also pan-fry or broil the sausages.) Serve with cornichons, mustard and bread.
• If you don't have time to stuff sausage links, cook the sausage mixture loose in a skillet or form it into patties for grilling or pan-frying.

VEAL SCALOPPINE W/CREAM, CALVADOS & APPLES (JACQUES PEPIN)

Steps:

• Peel, core & cut apples into 1/2-in cubes. Place them in a bowl, add lemon juice, mix thoroughly so apples are well-coated & set aside.
• Sprinkle veal escalopes w/salt & pepper & then w/the flour, shaking off any excess.
• Heat butter & oil in a lrg skillet at least 15-in in diameter. When hot, add veal a few pieces at a time & saute till lightly brown on both sides (approx 4 min on ea side over med-heat).
• When escalopes are cooked, arrange them on a platter & set aside in a warm place such as an oven heated to 180°F (80°C).
• Add apples w/lemon juice & Calvados to the pan. Scrape up all pan encrustations & cook over mod-heat (stir freq) for 3 minutes.
• Add cream & cont cooking till mixture has turned a rich ivory color. Reduce heat & cook (stir freq) for almost 10 min or till the cream has reduced by half & the sauce coats a spoon.
• Taste for seasoning; you will prob need to add about 1/2 tsp salt. Spoon sauce over escalopes & serve immediately.
• NOTE: The recipe says this serves 6 as a main-course, but I think it is more likely to serve 4 as a main-dish or 6 as an appy. I expect it may depend on what the entire menu looks like, so I will let you decide this for yourself.

PAN ROASTED VEAL SHANKS WITH CALVADOS, APPLES AND CIDER VINEGAR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Dredge the shanks in the seasoned flour. Brown the shanks in the butter in a very large oven safe pan over high heat; this will take 12 to 15 minutes. Lower the heat and continue cooking for 5 minutes, turning frequently to cook evenly. DO NOT SCORCH.
• In the pan you have the shanks in, add the shallots and apples. When softened, add the cider, calvados and vinegar. Let it come to a low boil and reduce the liquid by 40 to 50 percent. Then add the chicken stock and bring it back up to a low boil.
• Place the pan in the oven for 90 minutes, tented with foil. When the cooking time in the oven is over, remove from the oven and skim fat if needed. Test the meat to make sure it's fork tender. If it's not, stick it back in the oven for a few minutes. Then place the pan back over medium-low heat on the stove.
• Add the cream and tarragon. Cook for 5 more minutes to finish cooking and reduce the sauce to a rich consistency.
• Add the currants and correct the seasoning using sea salt and then correcting for vinegar. You may be adding a bit more for acidic punch.

CANNELLONI OR STUFFED SHELLS WITH VEAL AND SWEET SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage and crumble to very small pieces. Then add the veal, brown and crumble. Add the sage, garlic, onions and some salt and pepper, and cook until tender. Separate the spinach with your fingertips and add to the skillet. Stir to heat through, then deglaze with the wine and remove from the heat.
• In a saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and bring to a bubble. Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Thicken the sauce to coat the back of a spoon. Taste to adjust the seasoning and remove a ladle of sauce to combine with the egg yolks to temper them. Add the egg yolks to the sauce and stir in half of the fontina cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Reduce the heat to low, or cover to keep warm.
• Salt the water, and cook the pasta to a chewy al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. Then drain and cool. Fill the tubes or shells with the meat filling using small spoon. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with one-quarter of the sauce, then arrange the shells and cover with the remaining sauce, then top with the remaining cheese. Refrigerate or freeze for a make-ahead meal.
• Bake from room temperature at 375 degrees F until brown and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes.

VEAL SAUSAGE WITH CALVADOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large cold skillet, arrange the sausage slices in 1 layer. Set over medium-high heat, and cook, turning the slices once or twice until they are crisp and nicely browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• In a 2-quart casserole, arrange a layer of about 1/4 of the sausage slices. Cover the sausage with a layer of about 1/4 of the apple slices. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Continue in this manner to make 4 layers, ending with the apple slices.
• Stir the Calvados into the skillet in which the sausage was browned, scraping up any crusty, brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cream until well blended, Pour this mixture evenly over the casserole.
• Cover, and bake for 1 hour until the apples have cooked down and the mixture is bubbling. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

HOMEMADE BRATWURST (GERMAN PORK & VEAL SAUSAGES)

Steps:

• You will need to have a meat grinder and butcher's twine to prepare this recipe.
• Make sure all visible fat and gristle has been trimmed from the meats.
• Cut meat into very small pieces, then place in a bowl with salt, nutmeg, and mace and mix to combine.
• Put the meat mixture through a very clean meat grinder three times.
• Mix the ground meat mixture with 1/2 cup water.
• Stuff casings, being careful not to tear, tying ends with butcher twine.
• The number and size of sausages you can make will depend on how small or large the casings you purchased are.
• To cook the bratwurst, set sausages into a pot and fill with enough cold water to cover.
• Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat.
• Let stand 3-5 minutes, or until firm.
• Drain water.
• Pour some milk into a bowl and dip each bratwurst into the milk.
• Set dipped bratwurst onto a greased broiler pan and broil or grill until golden brown under low-medium (300-350°F if broiling) heat for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
• Makes enough filling for 4-6 servings.
• They should be stuffed and cooked the same day.

CHICKEN, APPLE, AND CALVADOS SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Immerse pork casing in a large bowl of cold water; refrigerate overnight.
• Hold one end of each piece of casing up to the nozzle of the faucet and support it with your other hand; run cold water through the soaked casings to check for holes and begin to open it out, so it will be easier to stuff. If there are any holes in the casing, cut out that piece. Keep casings in a bowl of cold water until ready to stuff.
• Transfer chicken and pork to freezer until exterior of the meat is brittle and hard on the outside but still soft in the middle, 30 to 60 minutes. Do not freeze solid. This is called open-freezing. (It is not necessary to distribute the meat evenly so it's not touching other pieces; the meat on top will freeze first, and that will be enough to lower the temperature for the whole batch.) When making sausage, meat must stay at or below 45 degrees at all times during the process. The ideal temperature is 38 degrees.
• Make sure all equipment is very clean and place in refrigerator or freezer to chill. This should include bowls, grinding equipment, and stuffer.
• Cut meat into cubes that are smaller than the opening of the meat grinder (about 1-inch cubes). Open-freeze meat, 30 to 60 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, mix together salt, thyme, sage, parsley, pepper, fenugreek, and red-pepper flakes; set aside.
• Fit clean, chilled grinder with a medium clean, chilled die. Grind meat, starting with pork. Start rotor, and, without using the supplied pusher, let rotor grab each cube of meat and bring it forward toward the blade and through the grinding plate. Continue grinding until both the pork and chicken are ground. Transfer to a clean, cold, nonreactive bowl and open-freeze until surface is crunchy, 30 to 60 minutes.
• Whisk apple, ice water, calvados, and honey into salt mixture until well blended and dry ingredients have dissolved; set aside.
• In a large, wide basin or bowl, combine cold meat with the apple mixture. Using very clean hands, begin kneading and turning the mixture as you would a large quantity of bread dough. Mixture should become creamy, caused by the warmth of your hands; this indicates that the mixing process is finished. Remove a few tablespoons of meat mixture and set aside. Transfer remaining meat mixture to refrigerator.
• Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat; add reserved tablespoons of meat mixture to skillet and cook until cooked through. Taste, and adjust seasoning in remaining meat mixture as necessary.
• Prepare a very clean sausage stuffer. Place bowl of casings, in water, next to stuffer. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
• Working in batches, transfer sausage mixture to the hopper of the sausage stuffer, compacting it very lightly with a spatula to be sure there are no air pockets; cover with lid. Thread a length of casing all the way into the stuffing horn and start cranking, just to move a little sausage into the casing. Stop, and crank backwards slightly to stop the forward movement. Pinch the casing just where the meat starts, to exclude all the air; tie in a knot.
• Start cranking again with one hand while you support the emerging sausage with the other. Move the casing out slowly to allow it to fill fully, but not too tightly; there should be some give in the sausage when it comes to tie the links. When you get close to the end, leave 6 inches of unstuffed casing and stop cranking.
• Working from the original knot, measure 4 inches of sausage. Pinch sausage firmly to form your first link; twist forward about seven rotations. Move another 4 inches down sausage; pinch but do not twist. Repeat process as you move down sausage, alternating pinch-and-twist links with pinch-only links. Twist the open end right at the surface of the sausage to seal off entire coil. Repeat entire process with remaining sausage mixture and casing.
• Cook immediately or hang or place sausages on parchment paper-lined baking sheets in refrigerator overnight covered with plastic wrap. Cut between each link before cooking. Do not prick sausage before cooking; cook slowly and gently to prevent bursting. Only prick if you see air holes.