My Date with a Sausage

In which I get in touch with my inner haute-hound. Bonus: Awesome recipe!

Just after my first two cookbooks—Polenta and Patina: Spuds, Truffles and Wild Gnocchi—were sent off to their respective publishers, I was approached by my brand new agent (omigodIhaveanAGENT?) to write a cookbook all about sausages. The book was intended as a showcase for the eminent sausage-wrangler Jody Maroni, who’d gone to sausage school in San Francisco with soon-to-be-a-legend Bruce Aidells. Jody (aka Jordan Monkarsh) kept the Venice Beach Boardwalk Sausage Scene absolutely enthralled starting in the nineties and to this very day. My agent was fairly certain I wouldn’t be interested in the project, being A. a 100-pound woman and B. in her mind anyway, a bit too (cringe) intellectual for the proletarian vibe of sausages.

Little did she know. “

Yum. And Yes,” I instantly enthused.

My job on this book was to bring flavor, veggies, herbs, spices, and unexpected but light ethnic influences to bear upon the pantheon of sausage-adjacent recipes; it was thought that these could often be a bit on the heavy side. Later on, this light, herb-and-vegetable-forward approach would become my specialty and the reason I’ve been brought in to develop countless recipes for Weber Grills and of course for and with Meathead, of the estimable AmazingRibs.com

This recipe combines earth and sea in a ridiculously tasty combo of flavors. The disparate parts come together in an unexpected but heartwarming partnership—a bit like Taylor and Travis. Please enjoy and be sure to let me know how it goes. Pics are always appreciated!

Capellini with Oysters, Spicy Sausage, White Wine, and Watercress

Serves 4

12 ounces precooked spicy pork sausage, cut into ½-inch slices

16 live Atlantic oysters or 8 live Pacific oysters, in their shells

2 tablespoons butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 cup homemade or store-bought chicken broth/stock

2 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 pound capellini noodles or linguine

1 cup heavy cream

¼ to ½ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 small bunch watercress, tender leaves and stems only, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)

1. Preheat a grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat and preheat a grilling basket. Grill the sausage slices in the grilling basket until brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Cool slightly and cut in half crosswise. Set aside. (You can also sizzle the slices under a broiler or in a cast-iron skillet; you’re just crisping ‘em up.)

2. Grill the oysters in the grilling basket (or under the broiler), flat sides up in their shells, until the oyster liquor starts to bubble out the edges and the shells gap slightly open, 6 to 9 minutes. With tongs or leather gloves, transfer the hot oyster shells to a platter. When cool enough to handle, open the oysters over a small bowl with an oyster knife, scrape the oysters and any liquor into the bowl, taking care not to include any grit.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Warm four wide bowls in a low oven. When the water is about to boil, melt the butter in a very large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots to the butter and sauté until softened, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and wine to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. When the liquid is simmering briskly, cook for 2 minutes; add the capellini to the boiling water and, at the same time, stir the cream and white pepper into the simmering broth. Cook both the sauce and the pasta for 2 to 3 minutes (according to package instructions for the pasta). With tongs, retrieve the cooked pasta and quickly transfer to the sauce along with the reserved sausage, oysters and oyster liquor, and the watercress. Decrease the heat to low and toss the mixture with the tongs just until the pasta is evenly coated and heated through; do not overcook or the oysters will be tough.

Four Tidbits For The Week of February 19th

Brigit’s What I’m

DOING NOW ➡️ Vainly attempting to master the conjuntivo imperfetto tense in Italian
CURRENTLY LOVING ➡️ My Italian Skype tutor, Debora
THINKING ABOUT ➡️ Yulia Navalnaya. Always in my heart and mind. 
LISTENING TO ➡️ Robert Mitchum: Calypso Is Like So...