Growing up and attending modern schools, I heard the story about how Marco Polo brought pasta to Europe from the Far East. In fact, pasta was already established in southern Europe by the time Marco Polo began his journey along the Silk Road.
What I later learned was that products similar to pasta existed during the 1st century AD (the Etrusco Roman era). Made from durum wheat and water, “lagane” was very similar to modern lasagna. However, instead of being boiled, it was cooked in an oven along with chickpeas and spices.
Conquered cultures have often adopted languages, foods, sciences, and arts from invading cultures. The Arab invasions of the 8th century were no exception and impacted much of the culinary cuisines along the Mediterranean Sea and this includes what we now know as pasta.
Modern pasta is usually served with a sauce that is tomato-, vegetable-, seafood-, meat- or cream-based. But that was not so in the early versions of pasta. The Arab version of pasta contained cinnamon, clove, dried fruit like figs and raisins and it tasted both semi-sweet and semi-spicy. As time went on, invaded cultures began changing this recipe to fit their own ideals and tastes. The exotic spices were removed as people began adding their own items to the dish – vegetables, calamari (squid), fish, pork, and chicken. Sauces were developed when cooking the aforementioned items in olive oil or butter, with wine and, once reduced (cooked-down), they were added to the pasta.
This is the latest article from Renaissance Magazine. It offers a great recipe for a side dish that is perfect for Thanksgiving that can be altered for the vegetarian family members. Don’t let the name fool you, the vegetarian version is just as tasty.
Autumn is in full swing and soon the weather will cool and summon winter to come forth. The fall and winter months herald several holidays that celebrate family, togetherness, and love. The holidays also bring forth family feasts that help solidify relationships with family and friends.
As a child, my family’s holiday dinners usually consisted of the standard roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, and stuffing. As an adult who likes to show off their culinary skills, I tend to cook less 20th century traditional recipes and cook more historical dishes; one of which is Sausage Hash.
Food image is credited to: Bill Moss, Moss Fotografica
This particular dish is a favorite among my family and friends and is extremely versatile and easy to make. It can be used as a breakfast dish, a side item for a holiday dinner, or as an entrée. During the holidays, I have been known to prepare this dish in mass quantities, package them up, and give them as gifts to my close friends, one of whom has been known to eat several pounds of this tasty treat in one setting.
This dish can also be altered for vegetarians or those who keep Kosher or Halal, as you will see from the recipe.
Ingredients:
Approximately 2 lbs of course ground country-style pork sausage or vegetarian sausage crumbles (Morning Star Farms has a great product – if using the vegetarian sausage, 3 TB of olive oil will be needed)
1 large onion or 3 leeks (a mild onion flavored vegetable), diced
2 lbs of carrots, thick julienned (size of twig or finger, but not matchstick sized)
1 lb of sweet potatoes, peeled and thick julienned
3 lbs of red potatoes, thick julienned
4 gloved of garlic, minced
2 sprigs of rosemary
Fistful of fresh chives, minced and divided
Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
Using a large pot, begin to sauté the sausage on medium heat to brown. While sautéing, break the sausage up into smaller pieces and add the onions and the garlic. The higher end sausage such as farm made, Amish made, or home made sausage is best, but standard course ground sausage may be used as well. Avoid using Italian or spicy sausage blends as it alters the flavor. Additional spices or hot sauces can be added after serving to suit individual tastes. Instead of the pork-based sausage, vegetarians or those trying to cut back the fat content, can sauté the vegetarian sausage in the olive oil to brown.
When the sausage with the onions and garlic has begun to brown, add the carrots and potatoes, stirring occasionally. If you notice the pan has a low fat content, add a cup of water to assist in the cooking process. When the potatoes and the carrots are nearly tender, remove the rosemary from the stems and add half of the chives. Continue stirring to blend the ingredients. Add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper to taste. It is important that table salt is not used in this dish and only sea or Kosher salt is used.
When the vegetables are fork tender, pull off the heat while continuing to stir. The left over chives should be used as a garnish sprinkled on top of the hash after serving.
This recipe can be duplicated as a vegetable hash by leaving out the meat or vegetarian sausage, and sautéing the same vegetables in the olive oil until fork tender. This makes a colorful side dish for any family dinner or special event.
