Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (131 page)

Equally delicious, though naturally different in texture, is any one of the suggested sausages poached in bouillon, peeled, and baked in plain pie crust dough or in that wonderfully high-rising flaky dough known as French puff pastry. Use the
pâte brisée à l’oeuf
, or the
demi-feuilletée
. Form the dough around the sausage as described in the free-form system,
Master Recipe
. Paint top with beaten egg, press on decorative pastry cutouts, and bake exactly as described in the Master Recipe. (Illustrated directions for decorating this type of pastry are in Volume I, pages 574–5.)

  
CAILLETTES—GAYETTES

[Pork and Liver Sausages with Greens]

These hearty green and brown sausages are made in the countryside where hogs are slaughtered, and the farmer uses every edible morsel for some specialty. His recipe usually includes lungs and spleen as well as the heart and liver we have specified, and, if he lives in Provence, he puts in plenty of garlic. Swiss chard (
blettes
) is the preferred green, but because it is not always to be had in this country, we have suggested kale or collards (
chou vert non-pommé
) and spinach as substitutes. Traditionally the sausages are formed into cushion or dumpling shapes 2 to 3 inches in diameter, wrapped in caul fat, and baked in a big pottery dish. You may also form them like regular sausages, like sausage cakes, or turn the whole mixture into a meat loaf. (
NOTE
: flavor will improve if you can make the mixture a day before cooking.)

Serve with mashed or scalloped potatoes and broiled tomatoes, or an
eggplant and tomato casserole
, or the
ratatouille
in Volume I, page 503, or simply a green salad and French bread. A rosé wine or a domestic red would go nicely.

For 6 cups of sausage mixture, making a dozen sausages

1)
The greens

1 cup minced onions

2 Tb pork fat or olive oil

A heavy-bottomed saucepan with cover

Either
1½ to 2 pounds fresh Swiss chard, kale, collards, or spinach;

Or
1½ packages frozen greens defrosted in a basin of cold water

A large kettle of boiling salted water

The large bowl of an electric mixer, or 3-quart mixing bowl

Cook onions and oil in covered pan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or so, until tender and translucent. Meanwhile, pick over fresh greens, wash thoroughly, and if you have chard use both the green leaves and the white stems; drop into boiling water and boil uncovered until wilted and just edibly tender—1 minute for spinach, 5 or more for other greens. Drain immediately, refresh in cold water, and drain again. (Fresh and defrosted greens may now be treated alike.) A smallish handful at a time, squeeze to extract as much water as possible; chop roughly with a big knife. You should have about 1½ cups. Stir into the onions, raise heat, and stir for several minutes to evaporate excess moisture. Scrape into mixing bowl.

2)
The sausage mixture

Either
1½ lbs. (3 cups) fat-and-lean fresh pork shoulder butt;

Or
¾ lb. lean pork from fresh ham or loin, and ¾ lb. fresh pork fatback or fat trimmed from outside loin

Either
½ lb. (1 cup) fresh liver (pork, lamb, or beef) and ¼ lb. (½ cup) heart (pork, lamb, or calf);

Or
liver only

1 Tb salt

Either
¾ tsp
épices fines
, ¼ tsp pepper and ¼ tsp savory;

Or
⅛ tsp allspice, ⅛ tsp mace, ⅛ tsp bay leaf, ¼ tsp savory, and ½ tsp pepper

Optional: 1 or more cloves of garlic, finely minced or mashed

Put meat, fat, and liver once through the coarsest blade of the meat grinder, or chop by hand into ¼-inch pieces. Add to bowl along with the seasonings, and mix thoroughly by electricity or by hand. Sauté a small spoonful until thoroughly cooked, taste, and correct seasoning if necessary. (Whether you form the sausages now or later, their flavor will improve if you wait 24 hours before cooking.)

(*)
STORAGE NOTE
: May be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days; may be frozen for a month or two.

3)
Forming and cooking

Caul fat.
Form sausage mixture into a dozen balls or cylindrical shapes, wrap in
caul fat
, arrange in one layer in a greased baking dish, and baste with melted lard or butter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the upper third of a preheated 375-degree oven until nicely browned.

Sausage casings.
Form in
sausage casings
, prick in several places with a pin, and either bake as described in preceding paragraph or poach in almost simmering water for 5 minutes, then brown in a frying pan.

Sausage cakes.
Form into sausage cakes with dampened hands. Just before cooking, dredge lightly in flour; sauté slowly in lard or cooking oil for 6 to 8 minutes on each side until nicely browned.

Meat loaf.
(This is particularly recommended when you want something to serve cold.) Either grease a 6-cup loaf pan or baking dish and pack the sausage mixture into it; or form the mixture into a loaf shape, wrap in caul fat, and place on a greased baking dish. Bake in upper third of a preheated 375-degree oven, basting several times with melted fat for an hour or more, or until juices, when meat is pricked deeply, run clear yellow with no trace of rosy color (180 to 185 dgrees on a meat thermometer).

VARIATION

Les Tous Nus—Quenelles de Boeuf Provençales

[Provençal Sausages of Leftover Braised Beef and Greens]

The naked ones,
les tous nus,
are sausages without casings, and a Provençal specialty. These are formed by hand, rolled in flour, and dropped for a moment in boiling water before they are baked in a shallow dish with a spicy tomato sauce. They are so fragrant and appetizing that you will find yourself braising beef just as an excuse for making
les tous nus
with the leftovers.

For about 4 cups, serving 4 to 6 people

1)
The sausage mixture

1 cup blanched and squeezed greens

¼ cup minced onions cooked with 2 Tb olive oil

2 cups ground cooked beef, preferably braised