I have been ogling Ottomanelli’s home-made pork sausages for quite
a while and finally tried them.
“Just sauté them in a frying pan,” advised Frank, the butcher.
I did just that, cutting the sausages into small pieces. Easiest thing I ever did and so tasty!
Menu
Italian Sweet and Spicy Sausages
Home-Style Roasted Potatoes*
Mushrooms Provençal
Wine: Beaujolais Villages 2009 [Juliénas]
Dessert: Valhora Chocolate
This meal was a triple winner. George loved the potatoes and asked for seconds; I loved the mushrooms; we both liked the sausages.
Mushrooms Provençal
3/4 pounds crimini mushrooms, wiped dry and cut into quarters
¼ cup olive oil, more if needed
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon fresh marjoram, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 teaspoons bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms. Sauté over high heat to brown, about 8 - 10 minutes. Reduce heat. Add garlic, herbs,
and parsley. Continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Lately I have become rather fond of Beaujolais. I just had to learn which ones to buy. Will Helburn at Rosenthal Wine Merchants is a big help, educating me about superior Beaujolais. Served slightly chilled, they are great summer wines.
Skeptic meets great Chocolate
Anyone who follows my blog knows that I don’t like sweets. That is to say with one exception: Valrhona’s “70% Cocoa Baking Bittersweet Chocolate”. I discovered it at Zabar’s nuts and dried fruit department-- a big block of chocolate, wrapped in saran. I don’t know what made me buy it. We tried it that evening after dinner. I couldn’t believe it: this was a great chocolate! It is so dense, I had to use a Parmesan cutter and a mallet to break off some pieces. Once, in your mouth, you have to chew it slowly—a process that helps savor its opulent, rich flavor. In addition, this chocolate goes well with red wine. Now we both are addicted to it.
*For recipe see December 14, 2010 blog
P.S. The dogwood tree is still blooming. Good doggie.
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