EXTRA, EXTRA! Contest, Contest!!!

Starting today and running until September 20, one of you – gentle readers – will have the chance to win 2 Jack’s Gourmet Variety Packs ($100.00 value)…

and a Jack’s Gourmet cap…

What do you have to do to win all these? How about sending us your best recipes using Jack’s Gourmet. sausages. The contest runs through September 20th, winner will be chosen by Chef Jack Silberstein and Dr. Alan Bronner (Jack’s Gourmet owners) and will be announced on these pages on Monday October 3rd. send in your recipes to kosherscene@gmail.com. If you care to accompany your entry with a good photo of the finished dish, we’ll feature it right here on our blog. To get an idea of what we are looking for go here, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you’ll find some interesting recipes, including two of our own.

Meanwhile don’t forget to send us in your ideas for avoiding the back to school blues to: kosherscene@gmail.com. Why not send us photos of unusual and interesting lunchboxes.

We will publish the best photos and ideas and pick a winner who will receive:

• 1 carton of juice boxes
• 1 dozen assorted fruit roll-ups
• 1 lunch box

Keep those recipes and ideas coming, gentle reader. get to work!

CS

Kosher Food & Wine Experience 2011 – Part 1

It was billed as bigger than its preceding shows… it was, it was billed as better than its preceding shows… it was! This was one of those rare occasions when hype and truth actually walked in locked step. The food, the wine, the liquors, all added up to a wonderful evening, an epicure’s dream come true.

SYR and I went in at 4:00pm, we saw and met many friends, magazine editors, fellow foodies and bloggers. We delighted in some products we’d already raved about on these pages, we discovered the new and revisited some great restaurants. As we spoke to favorite chefs, we  were happy to hear their craft was more than just a job, their passion for food, their creative juices continue unabated. Chef David Kolotkin of Solo and Prime Grill, Chef Jeff Nathan of Abigael’s and his wife Alison, Chef Mark Green of Glatt A La Carte, Jose Mireilles of Le Marais were among old friends showing off their creations.

Pomegranate had a large booth serving up some dishes that could have been made at any top restaurant.

Chef Emilio getting ready to hand out some delicacies.

Shana Wendel and staff presented Pardes‘ fares…

Lamb Meatballs with Turnip and Olive. Juicy, succulent, beautiful to look at... unmistakably Pardes!

Dr Alan Bronner and Chef Jack Silberstein of Jack’s Gourmet were serving  Chorizo Tacos, Pepper and Onion Soup with Sweet Italian Sausage and Bratwurst Sliders. We sampled all three and and loved them, here is an easy recipe they shared with us:

Bratwurst Sliders

Ingredients

• 1 package (4 links) Jack’s Gourmet Cured Bratwurst Sausage sliced 1/4″ thick on an angle
• 12 slider buns (4 burger buns can be substituted instead)
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 4 tablespoons grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves

Directions

1. Combine the sauerkraut and caraway seeds and reserve.
2. Combine the mustard and tarragon leaves and reserve.
3. Heat a saute pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons oil. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, about 3 – 5 minutes.
4. To serve, slice the buns in half. Spead a small amount of mustard on the bottom half of each bun. Top with sausage and sauerkraut and place other half of bun on top. Secure with a toothpick if necessary.

Some other friends with a great product are Valerie and Robert Groper from My Brother Bobby’s Salsa. SYR finally got to taste their salsas, she fully agrees with me they are superb. Can’t wait until they are available in Brooklyn!

Shalom Bombay was there as well, I had a selection of their Chicken Pakoras, Chicken Biryany and the Chicken Tikka Masala liberally sprinkled with the Mint and Tamarind Chutney and loved the whole combo. Noi Due still makes the best Espresso I’ve ever tasted in the US.

A new discovery was got cholent? Inc. I had their Moroccan Dafina and the Polish Cholent (just like my mamma used to make!!!). They have 16 different types of cholent, wish I could taste them all… The same people folks also own Gemstone Catering and we were very impressed with their Eve’s Apple and Hickory Wood Smoked BBQ Pulled Brisket Sliders. Tammy Polatsek from Aristocratic Design Co. told us these guys make superbly delicious food, well… they do!

There were so many restaurants to choose from, so much looked, smelled and tasted great I could write a very long post extolling the virtues of each, suffice it to say that the choice of eateries and caterers represented was tops. We also talked to cookbook authors Chef Lévana Kirschenbaum, Chef Jeff Nathan, Chef Susie Fishbein, Chef Jamie Geller. All in all a delightful evening, amidst delightful people.

CS

Jack’s Gourmet – Part 2

What I like about Jack’s Gourmet sausages most, specifically and because of their superb taste, is the many dishes they can be used in. This past Tuesday I made a Sausage Pizza using both their Sweet Italian and the Hot Italian sausages and I used SYR‘s simple recipe.

SYR's Sausage Pizza, "delicious" hardly does it justice...

SYR’s Sausage Pizza

Ingredients

• 9” pizza crust (I used a crust from Tradition, made with honey, with raised edges to avoid spillage)
• Pizza Sauce (enough to fill the crust)
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped (you may use any other kind of mushrooms as well)
• 6 Pearl onions, chopped (little, sweet, Vidalia onions might even work better)
• 1 elephant garlic clove, chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 10 grape tomatoes, sliced (you may use any other kind, including sun-dried tomatoes)
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Sweet Italian sausage, sliced
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Hot Italian sausage, sliced
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Put crust in oven for 7 minutes to make it crisp.
3. Take out crust and pour in pizza sauce, thin and evenly.
4. Suatee the chopped mushrooms, onions, and garlic, lay them out on the sauce.
5. Sautee the spinach and the basil, add on the sauce.
6. Add the sausage slices, alternating each time between the Sweet Italian and the Hot Italian.
7. Sprinkle the whole with the oregano. salt and pepper.
8. Put in oven for 15-20 minutes or until sausage slices look slightly brown.

I washed it down with a glass of well chilled Bartenura Asti Spumante. Scrumptious and delightful pairing I would have enjoyed it tremendously even if I had ordered it in a restaurant!

As for tonight, I’ll be getting a little more adventurous by making this salad:

Radicchio, Mango and Pomegranate Salad with Sausage

Ingredients

• 2 medium shallots, sliced 1/8 inch thick (about 1 cup)
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon NatraZyle Xylitol (you may use granulated sugar, if you wish)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed mango juice
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1pound radicchio and curly endives mixed, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup cubed mango
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 small pomegranate)
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Boereworks sausage, sliced
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Mexican Style Chorizo sausage, sliced

Directions

1. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. Bring a small saucepan of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add shallots and blanch until tender, about 30 seconds. Drain shallots and place in the ice water bath until cool. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine vinegar, NatraZyle, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the Xylitol, or sugar, has dissolved. Pour the boiling liquid over the reserved shallots and pickle until the shallots are slightly wilted and have lost any sharp taste, about 5 minutes.
3. Drain the shallots into a strainer set over a large, heatproof salad bowl, collecting any pickling liquid in the bowl; set the shallots aside.
4. Whisk the mango juice, mustard, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper into the pickling liquid. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
5. Heat the sausages in a sautee pan with a small amount of oil until golden brown on all sides, approximately 4-6 minutes.
6. Add the sausage slices to the salad.
7. Add the radicchio, curly endives and mango slices and toss well to combine. Top with pomegranate seeds, pickled shallots and serve.

The contrast between the mild Boereworks and hot Mexican Style Chorizo combined with the rest of the salad should be very interesting. I can’t wait!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Jack’s Gourmet – Part 1

Sausage Pizza (Kosher)

Radicchio, Mango and Pomegranate Salad With Sausage (Kosher)