How to Cook a Gourmet Sausage
What ever you do – DO NOT prick the casing of the sausage.
To cook sausages by frying, heat 1 tbsp butter or oil in a frying pan. Cook the sausages gently in the oil for 10-12 minutes, until thoroughly cooked, turning frequently. Sausages can also be baked in the oven (a good method to use if you’re cooking something else in the oven). Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the sausages on a baking tray and cook for 20-25 minutes, until thoroughly cooked, turning halfway through the cooking time. Individual types of sausages may have slightly different cooking times – for example a smoked sausage will only need half this baking time.
Whether you choose to bake, pan-fry or grill, simply enjoy.
How to Cook a Pork Porchetta Roast with Crispy Skin Stuffed with Garlic and Herbs
The King of Italian Pork Roasts – the Porchetta Roast!
A pork belly or leg, is stuffed with Tuscan herbs and seasonings, and needs to be slow roasted until all the bacon fat renders out, leaving luscious meat and a crispy skin. This is perfect for the most memorable of meals and makes a great sandwich.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
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Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place pork in a v-rack set in a large roasting pan, or on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Place roasting pan in oven and roast until internal temperature of pork reaches 160°F, about two – three hours, basting with pan drippings every half hour. Continue roasting another two hours, until a knife or skewer inserted into the pork shows very little resistance asides from the outer layer of skin. Better to roast long and slow to ensure the fat melts under the skin. The temperature will reach up to 200 degrees and still be delicious.
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Remove pan from oven, and set roast aside. Carefully pour off the hot oil into a vessel. Let oil cool, and dispose of, or strain and save all the bacon fat for other recipes.
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Increase oven temperature to 500°F. Return roast to oven, and continue roasting until completely crisp and blistered, about 20 to 30 minutes longer. Watch closely so it does not burn. Rotate the roast to be sure the underside crisps as well if necessary.
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Total cooking time will be close to 5 hours or more, depending on the size of the roast. Alternatively, you can remove the roast from the oven and tent with foil for up to two hours before finishing it in a preheated 500°F oven.
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Tent with foil and allow to rest for 20 -30 minutes. Slice with a serrated knife into 1-inch thick disks and serve.
How to Cook your Honey Ham
Cooking Instructions
All our Gourmet Hams need some warming to distribute the cure and complete their final cooking. Preheat oven to 325°F . Cook for 10-15 minutes per pound to an internal temperature of 160°F. Let the ham rest for 15-20 minutes after cooking. Slice and enjoy!
We ensure the finest ingredients and traditional techniques are used to create ham. Excellence starts with only using the prime cuts of all natural and humanely raised meat from the Rare Breed of Berkshire Pig.
How to Peel and Cut a Salami
Whether you slice it thinly and layer it in sandwiches or cut it into cubes for an appetizer tray with cheese and crackers, salami is a tasty and versatile food. This dry sausage is filled with garlic and spices, then aged in a natural casing. This casing is neither attractive nor appetizing, and you should remove it before serving the salami. The casing usually seems to bond with the salami meat with an unnatural strength, resisting all efforts to easily peel it off. Use a tip or two from deli owners to remove the casing.
Slice off the top of the salami to remove the gathered end. Slip the knife between the meat and the casing. Slit the casing from the top down to the bottom of the portion you will be using. Peel away the casing from the salami. If the casing is hard to remove from the meat, try soaking it in cool water for a few minutes to loosen.
Cotechino con Lenticchie (Cotechino Sausage with Lentils)
Symbolizing wealth and good fortune for the coming year, this hearty dish of Cotechino sausage with lentils is traditionally served on New Year’s Eve in Italy. Enjoy with mashed potatoes or lots of crusty bread for soaking up the juices.
Recipe:
Precooked cotechino sausage in casing
2 cups lentils
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper akes, or to taste
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf, and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the lentils and pour in just enough water to cover them. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover, and allow the lentils to simmer very gently until they are tender and creamy, 35 to 45 minutes. Check occasionally, and add water in very small amounts if the lentils begin to stick before they are fully cooked.
Fill a large pot halfway with water. Prick the cotechino in several places with a pin. (Don’t use a fork: the holes will be too large.) Add the sausages to the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer the sausages until you see the fat in the casing change from a solid to a liquid and the sausages begin to plump up, 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the sausages. Remove the sausages from the water, and place them on a dry towel.
Remove the outer casing before placing in pan.
Pour the remaining cup olive oil into a large pan, and set over medium heat. Scatter the garlic cloves in the pan. Cook until light brown, then remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Scatter the chili pepper flakes in the infused oil, increase the heat, and immediately place the sausages in the pan.
Cook the whole sausages, rotating them frequently, until they’re lightly browned on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan, allow them to rest for a few minutes, then slice them into inch rounds. To serve, place some of the lentils in individual serving bowls, and top each portion with a few slices of cotechino.