Meats

Italian food with meat

What is Italian Sausage?

September 2, 2010 in Food, Meats by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | 2 comments

Italian sausage is different than regular sausage because it uses Italian seasonings. There is no one set way to make Italian sausage, and no one ingredient list which you much must use. If you make your own sausage at home you can add whatever ingredients that you like in order give it an Italian flair.

Any time you make sausage you will need to have sausage casing, ground meat, a mechanism to stuff the sausage, string, and seasonings such as fennel, salt and pepper, red pepper etc.

Some people stuff the casings by hand or by using stuffing tube. It usually takes more than one person to do this task. It is not easy work and will take awhile. I will not get into

Italian Sausage

specifics at this time, for a few reasons. One is that there is so much to say – it would be too much for a simple post. I like talking to people who actually stuff their own sausage because they will tell you like it is. And it isn’t always as easy as the cookbooks make it sound.

If you are using an electric meat grinder to mix all your ingredients it will generally come – or should come with a sausage attachment. In fact, this is one common reason why people like to own their own meat grinder – to make sausage!

If you own a Kitchen Aid stand mixer you can actually purchase special sausage stuffer attachment kits made specifically for the Kitchen Aid. Some users have found the sausage attachment to be good for novices who are new to the sausage making world, while others have found the attachments to be messy, time consuming, and not of durable quality.

Let’s talk a bit about the casings. It is commonly assumed the casings are made of pork. However, lamb can often be used and I believe there are some synthetic casings as well that you can purchase. Since I tend to avoid pork products, and lamb is acceptable for me.

There are many cookbooks available which give various recipes and how to techniques for making your own sausage. If you are an enthusiast, I would take a look at Amazon and see what they offer.

Major Advantage for Making Homemade Sausage

One of the advantages to making your own sausage is you have total control over the quality of the ingredients which you put in. Where I live, it is hard to find a lot of organic meat products. Much less organic sausage that does not use pork. So being able to purchase your own organic meat, grind it in your own meat grinder, purchase your own casings, and season it with your own seasonings without any artificial additives-this is what I’d call real sausage. This is how it was done in the past and this is how it should be done today.

When making your own sausage make sure to give my sausage and peppers recipe a try. It’s easy and tastes great!

If you have your own sausage making techniques or advice, feel free to post them here – I’d love to hear.

Sincerely,

Liz
www.simpleItaliancooking.com
Easy Italian Recipes

Tips for Handling Raw Ground Beef

August 13, 2010 in Food, Meats by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

The importance of handling meat, in this case ground beef, cannot be stressed enough. Without proper handling a person can expose themselves to all sorts of bacteria – some fatal.

How Long to Keep Raw Ground Beef?

Use or freeze raw beef within 2 days from when you purchase the meat. Bacteria such as salmonella and E-Coli will grow and spread in the beef – especially when it is not stored in the proper temperatures.

Bacteria cannot grow when meats are frozen.

These bacteria will cause illness in a human, sometimes death. It cannot be seen on the meat, so just checking it for oddities or giving a smell test will NOT help you determine if there is this type of bacteria.

According to the FSIS website, bacteria quickly grows between 40 and 140 degrees F. Therefore, make sure to store your ground beef at temperatures less than 40 degrees f.

Unless it is frozen, do not leave it in your refrigerator for 2 days max and only thaw your beef in the refrigerator, not on a kitchen counter where it is exposed to the “danger zone” of room temperatures.

Freezing the ground beef will stop any spread of bacteria as noted above. Use the frozen beef within 4 months to ensure maximum freshness, however there is no limit to how long beef can be stored in a freezer.

Grinding Beef Spreads Bacteria Faster

Healthy Meat

Whether grinding your own meat at home, or if your butcher does it for you, it is important to realize that this will cause bacteria to grow even faster. To eliminate the threat of bacteria in your ground beef, make sure it is thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

When purchasing ground beef, look for good red color – even purplish red. If it has a lot of grayish brown around the meat this could be a sign that is spoiling.

Some meats will have some gray coloring because it is oxygen which helps bring about the red color, so some areas of meat which do not receive much oxygen will have some gray.

3 Ways to Thaw Ground Beef

1. Thaw in the refrigerator.

This slows down the growth of bacteria. Make sure the meat is properly covered and not placed where the juices or meat will touch any other item.

Placing the wrapped package of meat in a glass container or pan is a good choice because you will not need to worry about leakage. Never let it be sitting fully exposed without being wrapped.

It is most common to thaw the meat over night. This is the only method that allows for the meat to be refrozen.

2. Thaw in the microwave.

This process is truly the fastest way, however you have to be careful you do not overcook the meat. Cook the meat quickly after thawing – again to prevent the rapid growth of bacteria. Do not refreeze.

3. Thaw in cold water.

Place the meat within an airtight plastic bag and place in a bowl of very cold water. Make sure the meat is fully submerged. To keep the water cold, change it out every 30 minutes. Like thawing in the microwave, cook the meat immediately and do not refreeze.

What should be the internal temperature of ground beef?

The internal temperature should be 160 degrees minimum. However, when reheating fully cooked frozen ground beef (such as in casseroles, lasagna, or meatballs), the internal temp should be 165 degrees F.

Liz
www.simpleitaliancooking.com
Easy Italian Recipes

What is Prosciutto?

July 31, 2010 in Food, Meats by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Prosciutto is a meat which comes from pig. Therefore it is ham. But it is different than ham.

Prosciutto is ham that has been cured. You can eat it cooked, or raw. What we often think of when speaking of this type of Italian food is the uncooked kind.

Prosciutto - credit - Jibbit at flickr

Is it safe to eat raw?

However, do you wonder if indeed the ham is safe to eat if it is raw? It is safe if it has been cured. Curing meat means it is washed and salted down then left to dry or “cure” for up to 2 years.

It is hung in a cool area and in Italy it is common to see a slab of ham hanging from the ceiling.

But what also gives the prosciutto it’s distinctiveness is how thinly it is sliced. It is sliced in paper thin strips. You cannot cut it this thin with a knife – well, I guess you could try, but it’s typically sliced at a deli where they have a professional meat slicer.

If you have a food slicer at home, you can use that to slice the cured meat as well. Keep in mind, prosciutto must be cured. Taking a basic slab of ham from the store and slicing it paper thin will NOT produce prosciutto!

What is it used for?

Prosciutto is frequently used in antipasto dishes, or even wrapped around other foods such as vegetables or cheeses.

You can choose to buy pre-sliced prosciutto from a deli or super market, but try to look for ones which are from Italy. They truly have the best.

What does it taste like?

Not all prosciutto tastes the same, so if you have a specific brand or style you like stick with it. The reason has to do with what the pigs are fed. Since pigs are not picky eaters they will eat just about anything in their way. Therefore some farmers will make sure their pigs are only able to feed on specific foods like grains or grass. Other farmers are more lax and let the pigs eat junk like other animal by products. Naturally, all these factors can influence how the meat of the pig will taste. Not always pretty – but it is reality.

www.simpleitaliancooking.com
Easy Italian Recipes

How to be frugal and still buy good quality meats

July 27, 2010 in Food, Meats by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Being frugal does not mean not spending money, or squeezing the eagle so tight it breaks in two. It means using resources at hand to deal with the economy at hand.

Whether the national economy, or just the economy of your household – frugality can be a terrific asset in your life, and to your budget – especially when it comes to eating.

I’ll explain:

Coupons & Sales

One of my childhood memories of my father is his coupon packed wallet. In fact, I think he may have had a wallet just for his coupons I’m not sure. It was so fat, so big and reminds me of the Seinfeld episode with George and his fat packed wallet which finally explodes in the middle of the street.

Now I’m the one with the coupons. My husband and I do the weekly ritual of cutting and clipping coupons from the Sunday paper. Who cares about the Sports section – where are the coupons?! Using coupons and cashing in on sales has saved us tons of money off our grocery bill, and has also allowed us to buy better foods at cheaper prices.

We are on a tight budget these days where every penny is counted and collected. But that doesn’t mean I have to buy cheap meat at the store. You can have good meat which is expensive, or bad meat which is cheap… unless you have a coupon or hit a sale.

That is what can make the difference between a good meatloaf or meatballs vs. mediocre ones.

Life Example:

Two weeks ago we decided to have some burgers for dinner. Instead of going and spending $12 on two meals at a fast food joint, we headed to the grocery store’s meat department.

London broil was on sale for $1.99 a pound (normally $5.99 a pound), so we picked a nice healthy piece. Asked the butcher to use his meat grinder in the back of the store to grind up the meat for us, and then we headed home.

We made some hamburgers and put them on the grill. Thanks to the advice from the butcher we rubbed some olive oil on them since London broil is on the lean side. End result – beautiful lean burgers.

London Broil on Sale

We paid the same price as some cheap cut of meat, it cost less than eating out, and we ate like a King and Queen. No heavy stomachs, no greasy yuck, just pure heavenly delight.

receipt

What should have cost us $22.60 – only cost us $9.01.

By the way – today we went shopping and saved $20.00 on foods we buy regularly! Proof is in the image to the right. All thanks to taking the time to look in the paper.

So, in the end – frugality doesn’t have to mean cheap or totally stingy, but rather it should mean smart and resourceful!

Liz
Simple Italian Cooking

Simple Italian Cooking Actually Works!

January 29, 2010 in Cooking together, Family, Food, Meats by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Last night I had the amazing opportunity to put my simple Italian cooking theme to the ultimate test. My father decided to make dinner and give my mom a break who was busy getting some other things done. My dad is great at making breakfasts and grilling, but regular cooking… hmm…. not so sure. He already had chicken breasts out but didn’t know what to do with them. He’s looking through his cookbook and just couldn’t decide where to start or what to do. So I suggested my breaded chicken breasts recipe. I’m of the philosophy to teach a man how to fish rather than give a man a fish, so I step by step told him what to do. Within 15 minutes (hard to say as he got interrupted a few times), he had the chicken nicely coated and in the oven. He followed all the instructions to the letter and 40 minutes later the chicken was ready to eat. From what they said, it turned out great and now my dad knows how to make a new recipe. I told him to sign up for my newsletters to I would send him a free recipe each week…

So yes, it was proven this week once again good Italian recipes do not have to be overly complex or laborious – just simple!

Liz
Simple Italian Cooking Recipes
www.simpleitaliancooking.com

Christmas Dinner on a Smaller Scale…oh yes lamb again!

January 7, 2010 in Christmas Dinner, Food, Meats, Recipes, lamb by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Ok, it is a bit misleading but our Christmas leg of lamb was such a big hit I had to try it again on a much smaller scale. I was at the store and bought some lamb shoulder blade chops. I never knew they sold these but hey I’m always learning! I bought 2 chops (wish I had bought more) as a test and froze them. 2 days ago I took them out to thaw overnight and was literally thinking about them all day yesterday gearing up for dinner. Of course as luck would have it, we also ended up eating very late around 9PM for dinner thus prolonging my anticipation.

I did not have any romano chunks as with the leg of lamb recipe, so I used what I had. I rubbed them with olive oil, shoved some crushed garlic cloves in various meat creavases and slits, along with some chopped parsley. Sprinkeled a bit of salt (which I didn’t think was necessary and will probably not do until the very end). I threw in a whole head of garlic gloves (unpeeled) for roasted garlic, and some left over parsley too just for kicks. Covered it in foil, and baked for 45 minutes at 350 F. The aroma was awesome. I uncoverd it half way through and I think this was a little premature, I’d wait a tad longer to make sure it doesn’t dry out. I don’t know if I needed to remove it at all, I just wanted to help speed up the cooking a bit to be honest.

How did it taste? It was a winner! It was simple to make and bake therefore I’ll put it on the site. Was it as good as the Christmas leg of lamb? No, because shoulder blade lamb chops are a total different cut. If the chops were to be the main dish only, I’d have made more if I had it. But I served it with some of my meatless meatballs which I had in the freezer (read my blog on Yogurt Containers Saved Me), along with some baby lima beans. Ideally, I’d have served the lamb with a side of pasta as I love having some meat with my pasta, but not in my pasta. Protein and carbs together are a good balance, plus it just tastes so darn good!

To be honest, when I plated the whole dinner I thought, gee this looks more impressive than I thought it would – of course I didn’t admit this to anyone! By the way, this meal took about 10-15 minutes prep with 45 minutes baking. Always make sure juices run clear from the meat to make sure it is cooked well.

Liz
Simple Italian Cooking
“If it’s not simple, I won’t post it!”

6 Facts About Lamb Meat You Might Want to Know

December 12, 2009 in Food, Meats by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

I knew lamb is a healthy meat, but wasn’t sure why. Instead of giving all the facts I’ll point you to www.sheep1o1.info which goes into greater detail. I’ll just mention a few points which I found interesting.

1. Lamb protein is “complete”, meaning it holds all 8 essential amino acids.

2. Lamb is a sheep which is younger than 12 months old. If it is older than 12 months it is called mutten. Kind of sad to think we are eating a poor sheep less than a year old, but that is the facts. They look so cute.

3. Lamb is high in B, Zinc, and Iron.

4. A 3 oz. serving provides approx. 175 calories.

5. It is rich in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) which cannot be produced inside humans, but has great antioxidant benefits for humans.

6. Lamb has zero carbs. Yeah!!!!

Just a few good facts about lamb and why it is a good meat to eat! Check out my lamb neck recipe!

Liz

Simple Italian Recipes
www.SimpleItalianCooking.com

Italian Peppers and Sausage without the Pork

August 11, 2009 in Food, Meats, Organic by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

My latest recipe comes from my own mother’s recipebox. Literally, that’s where I found it, in her recipebox. It’s a good simple Italian side dish she often made alongside a big pan of lasagna. I can remember the smell well. I think she got the recipe from my father’s mother when they were first married, I could tell by the age of the card. I felt like I was holding something sacred, something that held so much value I had to handle it very carefully. I’m not exaggerating, I was a bit nervous that I’d lose it or cause it to tear being buried under a pile of papers on my desk. But alas, I took good care of this little treasure and returned it safe and sound.

I however have made one change to the recipe, instead of using pork sausage, I use chicken sausage. Try to get some that have good Italian seasonings (like mozzerella and garlic) which will taste good with onions and green peppers. Peel off the skin if you can, it will help cut down on the fat. Do not and I repeat do not buy any with sodium nitrates. Simply look at the ingredients and look towards the end of the list… there you will see it or not. If you cannot find a brand without this cancer causing trash which should be outlawed, complain to the store. We get ours at Costco where there are more varieties and the price is better for the quantity.

You can get the full recipe for our quick and simple Italian Peppers and Sausage recipe on my website along with a number of other recipes.

Thanks mom for the recipe!

Liz

Cured ham hanging from a ceiling?

July 7, 2009 in Food, Meats by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

My Italian relatives cured ham the good old fashioned way.

When I was in Italy, I noticed this big round thing hanging high from the ceiling wrapped in some sort of sheer fabric. I asked or rather tried to ask in italian what it was and they told me it was ham. I didn’t understand then that by hanging ham out to dry for a very long time is what it takes to make “cured” ham. I took a picture of it, which I’ll put here.

I really only know cured ham for either slicing really really thin strips which can be used in main dishes or as appetizers. I like cured ham with cheese and crackers. Hams that are cured can also be used for holiday dinners too for the main dish. Curing ham is different than just throwing a raw ham in the oven, there is an art to curing ham. However, rest assured you do not have to hang a chuck of meat in your kitchen or on your porch to create good tasting ham. You can order it online from established companies like Johnston County Hams based out of NC.

I don’t think I’ll even attempt to try and cure ham myself. I’d rather trust someone else who does it for a living. But personally, I’m not a big ham eater, so you won’t find any ham recipes from me. But I know a lot of people love ham so hopefully they… or you… will appreciate my post!

Ciao,

Liz

Dinner was Great and Hubby was Happy

July 4, 2009 in Food, Meats, Organic, Recipes by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Yesterday I wrote about cooking a whole roasted chicken in the oven using olive oil as a rub and putting garlic cloves under the skin and in the meat. I put a few celery stalks and onion chunks in and around the chicken too. Well, anyway it was awesome. I made my italian green salad as a side and as an additional side, I took half a tomato and sliced it, and sliced some mozzerella too. Then I layered them on a plate and drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar over it. It was all fantastic, even the raw organic brocolli I had too. It was all so simple too because I got everything ready while the chicken was cooking and managed to get some work done as well! Get the full recipe at www.simpleitaliancooking.com!

: Roasted chicken dinner with side dishes