Hot-Sweet Italian

This favorite pizza topping is a coarse plump pork sausage. 

Either hot (flavored with hot, red peppers) and sweet (without the added heat). It must be well cooked before serving, and is suitable for frying, grilling or braising. The recipe below is a hybrid of hot and sweet.

• 15 pounds boned pork butts
• 2 ¾ cups very cold red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon works nicely)
• 8 tablespoons salt
• 7 tablespoons fennel
• 6 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 3 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• 1½ teaspoons caraway seed

Process

1. Grind all of the pork butts through a one-quarter inch or three-eighths inch plate. Refrigerate the ground pork until well chilled - ideally 32 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit

2. When the meat is chilled, thoroughly mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl.

3. In a large bowl or lug, thoroughly mix the wine and spice mixture with the ground pork. Immediately stuff into 32mm to 35mm hog casings. 
 



4. Hang the stuffed sausage in a cool place until the casings are dry to the touch. Refrigerate or freeze immediately after drying.

Sausage (the best)

5-lb coarse ground pork butt
1-cup cold white wine
8-tsp paprika
4-tsp salt
5-tsp fresh minced garlic
4-tsp cayenne
2-tsp cumin
2-tsp dried oregano
1-tsp freshly ground black pepper

 
Combine all, mix well; stuff into hog casing

Wine makes all the difference
Care with Spice volume - above is plenty for a good everyday sausage, particularly salt

Pumpkin

I think I like Pumpkin for the spices that go with it.  Cumin, cinnamon, star anise, these are the best winter warmers.


Buy the whole Pumpkin and make roast Pumpkin and use the rest for various soaps.  It freezes really well.


Roasting the pumkin:

• Take the top off and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits
• Add spice, S&P, dates, raises and rice and water, put the top back
• Roast in the oven for an 1hour - until the rice is cooked
• Cut it open into peaces and serve with the rice.  Perhaps grill the peaces to create some nice caramelized sides

 Soup:

• Scoop out remaining pumpkin, add stock, toasted cumin,garlic, fried off onion, milk or cream
• Boil for 15 minutes

One large pumpkin makes 10+ portions of soup and roasted pumpkin for 4.  


Cost: 14 portions for $3 in season or 25cents per portion - with some toast - perhaps 50 cents per meal

Gnocchi and stuff

Stuff includes:
Garlic, Tomato sauce

Cassoulet

Anything goes bean stew/soup dish.


The basic Ingredients:

• Beans: White haricot are my favourite. Almost any beans are good
• Meat: Something tasty, any of: sausage, bacon, mutton, turkey, smoked...
• Veggies: Onion, potatoes
• Herbs: Garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, parsley, Juniper berries, S&P

The process:

• Add to pot and cook.
• Keep the beans to the meat ratio high on the beans side. 
• Liquids (Stock): 3 to 1 ratio to the beans, more means a soup.  Also consider some flour as this will make for a rich liquid.
• Add to pressure cooker and cook for 30 minutes with the heaviest weight.

Original source: Delia, much modified
Cost: $12 approx - 6 portions ($2/ portion) 

Tortilla (flour)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup lard, butter or vegan substitute (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup hot water (I found near boil worked best) 

The method:
1. Mix together the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients. Mix the dough together by hand until very consistent, making sure to work the lard/butter/other in very well.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough by hand for 5-6 minutes.
3. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces (more or less). flatten in Tortilla press, cover with a tea towel or inverted bowl. Let sit for 20 minutes.
4. Bake in cast iron pan. 1 min per side.

Pita Bread

Prep: 10 min plus - Cook: 20 min (4 minutes each) - Total: 3 hour 30 min
Yield: Serves 4 – 6 large of up to 15 small
If you are careful with your proportions, you won't wind up with a sticky nightmare!


INGREDIENTS:

• Active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water (100 - 110 deg. F; hot to the touch)
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup (8 fl oz) lukewarm water

TOOLS: Mixing bowl, paddle or similar to transfer bread to and from oven, pizza tile, oven.


STEPS:

1. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water, add one tsp sugar, stir and let stand for 10 minutes until frothy.
2. Combine the flour and salt, mix thoroughly using your hands or a spatula; add the yeasty water and about 1/2 the lukewarm water; mix and gradually add more water a few TBSP at a time (it can be very sticky until well mixed) until firm and elastic and just a little sticky (may adhere to your hand).
3. Turn dough on to a lightly floured working surface and knead for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. In a bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 2-3 hours.
4. When dough has nearly doubled in size, punch down, knead lightly, pinch off hand fulls to form into balls, any size you like - between a ping-pong and a tennis ball.
5. Put pizza stone in oven on lowest rack; pre-heat oven to 450 deg. F
6. Place balls on a lightly floured surface a few inches apart, cover and rest for 10 - 15 minutes
7. Flatten with floured Tortilla press.
8. Set aside, covered, for another 10 minutes.
9. Using a pre-heated pizza stone or baking sheet; transferring the bread to the hot stone or sheet and baking for about 4 minutes - when the bread has 'popped' and browned ever so slightly on the edges or top. The time depends on how thick and moist your bread is and how hot the oven is.
10. Allow to cool, flatten, store in plastic bags. Can be refrigerated or frozen, with appropriate re-heating or micro-waving.

Thanks to http://www.e-rcps.com/m_e/pita.shtm

Mayo (the best)

The best Mayo in 20 seconds.

The stuff:

• 1 egg
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (more acid will enable you to keep it longer)
• Salt / Pepper  (more salt that you think)
• Canola oil can include small amounts of olive or flax seed oil)

The way:

• Use the electric whisk 
• Add the oil slowly until the mayo stiffens (peeks)
• If its not working cool everything down in the fridge and start again

Variants:

• Garlic (not too much)
• Mustard
• Sugar (just a little)
• Jams or Marmalade (eg Lime Jam)
• Hot sauce

Humus

The stuff:

• 2 cups dry chickpeas (to be rinsed and drained before use) soaked overnight, or use canned
• 3 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seeds paste)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• Olive oil to taste
• Salt & pepper

The process:

• Mix all the olive oil in the blend, slowing add the olive oil until you are happy with the consistancy and taste
• Total time 10 minutes
• Cooked onion
• Grilled and seasoned lamb
• Toasted nuts

Variants:

• Cumin
• Spinach
• 
  

Gazpacho

Assembly only required, Assemble and leave for a day to let the flavours develop.

ingredients

• can crushed tomato and fresh
• cucumber
• capsicum
• red onion
• olive oil
• white wine vinegar
• basil and parsely
• garlic
• Worcestershire sauce
• hot sauce
• salt and pepper
• Optional: Zucchini

Spinach Salad

Food Assembly

Spinach and any selection of:

• Red Onion
• Hard boiled egg
• Soft boiled egg
• Walnuts 
• Raspberries
• Blue berries
• Grated goats cheese (or crumbled!)
• Dried fruit (Dates, cranberries)
• Fruit (Apple, Apricot)
• Salt and Pepper

For the dressing:

• Basic Vinegar and olive oil (inc balsamic)
• Mustard