Hot Sausage & Mustard

Thanks, Larry. As I said, a good knife is the most...

2009-12-11T10:53:05.832-05:00

Thanks, Larry. As I said, a good knife is the most important tool in your kitchen.

Cool post, Chris. I confess to never owning any d...

2009-12-11T08:56:40.568-05:00

Cool post, Chris.

I confess to never owning any decent knives. Thanks for the primer, though.

I'll set aside a few bucks and see if I can pickup a nice knife next year.

Since I just bought my favorite summer accompanime...

2009-08-14T12:28:46.716-04:00

Since I just bought my favorite summer accompaniment to almost anything---fresh figs wrapped in proscuitto---I think I'll have it with your gazpacho. I love this combination, and figs and pros. are great as a dessert, appetizer, or even breakfast.

It's not as labor intensive as it sounds, but ...

2009-08-05T13:27:03.200-04:00

It's not as labor intensive as it sounds, but since it's supposed to be an uncooked meal, I doubt you'd want to work up the sweat that this method will generate.

Gosh all get-up, that sounds laborious. Maybe it&#...

2009-08-05T12:56:58.629-04:00

Gosh all get-up, that sounds laborious. Maybe it's time to invest in a machine. But thanks for the info!

Kristy: Good country style bread. Sullivan St. ba...

2009-08-05T12:37:41.363-04:00

Kristy:

Good country style bread. Sullivan St. bakery has great stuff, or you can bake your own following my recipe. Barring that, you can buy a hero roll at the grocery store and let it get stale.

Well, you're not screwed without a food processor or blender, but you're going to have to work a lot harder. You can use a box grater, and use the large holes. Cut the tomatoes in half, and rub them on the grater with the skin side toward your hand. The grater will nicely grate the flesh of the tomato, while leaving the skin behind. With the onions and cukes, again, use the large holes of the box grater to shred the veggies. Do your grating over a bowl so that you catch all the yummy liquids that will exude from the veggies.

Have fun!

This soup sounds amazing. My mouth is watering. T...

2009-08-04T20:27:59.493-04:00

This soup sounds amazing. My mouth is watering.

Two questions: What kind of bread?

And, I don't have a food processor or a blender. Am I screwed?

This is mega-useful. I like how you think about wh...

2009-07-28T22:31:57.138-04:00

This is mega-useful. I like how you think about what people might need.

The recipe sounds fantastic. I often attempt Salad Nicoise but mine is always lacking something.

Yeah! Welcome back to the blogosphere. I like this...

2009-07-28T17:09:45.693-04:00

Yeah! Welcome back to the blogosphere. I like this whole "eating without cooking" thing. The people demand more!

My dad goes to a place near him (about 70 miles fr...

2009-07-25T13:16:54.668-04:00

My dad goes to a place near him (about 70 miles from me) that sells organic pork. I'll have him get some chops and I'll go over and cook for him.

Glad to have you back, buddy!

I haven't been this hungry in months.

2009-07-24T19:51:20.011-04:00

I haven't been this hungry in months.

Thanks, all. I can't tell you how good it feel...

2009-07-24T15:14:04.415-04:00

Thanks, all. I can't tell you how good it feels to be back. I've missed writing, and all my wonderful friends and fans.

And Anonymous, who are you? (Feel free to email me, if you'd prefer.)

wonderful! I'm so excited to try this recipe. ...

2009-07-24T15:02:34.352-04:00

wonderful! I'm so excited to try this recipe. welcome back!

Pork...yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmm. I am so glad you...

2009-07-24T14:59:04.672-04:00

Pork...yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmm. I am so glad you're back.

Welcome back! I too buy organic pork, and it does ...

2009-07-24T14:54:12.173-04:00

Welcome back! I too buy organic pork, and it does make a world of difference. I can't wait to give this recipe a whirl.

In my never-ending quest to recreate "excelle...

2009-06-30T14:53:50.700-04:00

In my never-ending quest to recreate "excellent meals I enjoyed overseas," I attempted a green peppercorn sauce recently using a recipe I found online.

It had potential, with a creamy roux and enough pepper to hit the high notes. Everything in between was, "Meh."

In a former life, I'd have thrown in a few dekagrams of MSG and hoped for the best. I'm convinced I needed to start with a more robust base. I unfortunately have little concept of what constitutes a robust base. The recipe's suggestion to reduce a quantity of beef stock seemed lacking.

Help me, HS&M Guy, you're my only hope!

p.s. La Misma is me, Kristy.

2009-06-11T17:02:39.034-04:00

p.s. La Misma is me, Kristy.

I can't imagine what it's been like adjust...

2009-06-11T17:02:12.865-04:00

I can't imagine what it's been like adjust to the loss of sight in one eye. I salute your courage for carrying on and I look forward to more Sausage y Mustard! I need your help, I need your imagination and I also need your enthusiasm.

Grilled peaches, how about a recipe for grilled pe...

2009-06-07T21:28:10.718-04:00

Grilled peaches, how about a recipe for grilled peaches! It's grilling time...

Yay, I can't wait to read your next blog! I've mi...

2009-04-13T19:39:00.000-04:00

Yay, I can't wait to read your next blog! I've missed them. Will it be about lamb??

I came home today and found my wife, who's end...

2009-04-07T22:16:00.000-04:00

I came home today and found my wife, who's endured multiple surgeries, given birth to two children, and tolerated my silliness was devastated by a cold. It was my night to cook, and I knew immediately the woman needed some chicken soup.

I'd only amassed two chicken carcasses in my freezer. But the one thing I know about good cooks is dammit, they improvise. I pulled the carcasi? out of the freezer and put them in the biggest pot I owned on low heat while I ran to the store.

At the store, I quickly bought celery, green onions, carrots, tiny white potatoes, a couple pounds of chicken breasts, and a liter package of chicken broth. (This to make up for my deficit of carcasses.)

I ran home, and turned the bones on high. I peeled and sliced the carrots, and added these with the packaged broth while I fished out the carcasses. I waited a few minutes for the carrots to get a head start, and added halved mini-potatoes, skin and all. I gave this duo a chance to bounce about in the boiling water and added diced chicken breasts. As soon as they were cut and added, I quickly included sliced green onions and celery.

It occurred to me about this time that Chris's recipe assumed fattier chicken, so I called upon the memory of my dear departed mother (late from south Georgia) and added two tablespoons of bacon grease. I also added (of my own volition) about a teaspoon of poultry seasoning.

Just before I was ready to serve, I threw in a half pound of sliced mushrooms.

I didn't add any salt at all, having learned Chris's lesson that salt is a one-way street.

It was arguably a stew rather than a soup. But all the vegetables were al dente. They carried the character of their former self, both in taste and texture, yet yielded readily to every bite.

My small audience was ecstatic, including the youngest who rebels against anything found outside a Campbell's container.

I made enough to freeze and eat in front of my envious co-workers for weeks to come.

I didn't closely follow Chris's suggestions. In fact, I ignored many concepts and adopted my own. But in doing so I realized the beauty of Hot Sausage & Mustard. Chris deftly implies that you should deviate from his instructions. There's a reason each post doesn't include a shopping list and rote instructions. Take the idea, run with it, and call it your own.

I cannot wait -- you know I've been wanting to try...

2009-03-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

I cannot wait -- you know I've been wanting to try one of your bean soups for a long time. Thanks!

OK, but that will require an entire entry. Look fo...

2009-03-11T18:21:00.000-04:00

OK, but that will require an entire entry. Look for it soon!

Actually, as long as I'm commenting, can you give ...

2009-03-11T17:13:00.000-04:00

Actually, as long as I'm commenting, can you give us a rundown of which are the strong-tasting and mild-tasting fish? And do different cuts (salmon steak vs. fillet, for example) make a difference in strength of taste? I am often tempted to cook a whole fish but, when I get to the market, am stopped by my lack of knowledge of which are the oilier fish.

You're right, just the zest. Using a vegetable pee...

2009-03-11T17:06:00.000-04:00

You're right, just the zest. Using a vegetable peeler, start at the top of the orange, and cut off as much as you need.