Homemade Sausages and Bacon - Carnati si slanina de casa

I know spring has come and photos with beautiful colors, salads, soups, desserts and other light and fresh seasonal foods show up, but last week i was reading again about smoked and cured meats (thanks to Mike and Sherry from Menu in progress), and since i failed miserably that day to keep the lent and ate some grilled sausage, i thought i should talk about the same thing, even though the food was made 3 months ago. And talking about Mike and Sherry, i cannot tell you how much i like their food, their authenticity and craft, from charcuterie to the posts about beer, from BBQ to Mexican or Asian food and everything else, all looking good without fuss and foodie snobbery (not that i am not a sucker for that, too).
Although i helped mom back home at Christmas time to prepare all our traditional "porky" dishes, i've never thought of trying to make them here myself, until Leila (a wonderful cook i "met" when i was active on the Romanian cooking forum RC) showed us some photos with her cured pork belly, and the only way you could escape your misery was to make them yourself.
So.... i made my first sausages in December 07, but they weren't smoked, and also headcheese and cured pork belly. And here is a link with the photos, on the forum, because i cannot find them on my computer anymore. I think they are saved on Clara's, and that one is out for sometime now. (looking at the pictures now, i remember i have to bring out to light some of my cakes, too, but maybe in the weeks to come).
At that time, i discovered the pancetta and the headcheese (testa di coppa) from Menu in progress, a blog that i liked so much, because it showed me that it is possible to try even here in sunny and warm California to go wild and try charcuterie at home .... and lately they've been killing me with their smoking, so this past December i had to get our sausages and bacon smoked, too. Not at home off course, because it's still impossible, but when i went to buy the sausage casings, the owner of the shop told me if i want, he could smoke them for us. I think that was the best news i could give my dear husband, who enjoyed this homemade sausage / bacon business more than i can tell you, even more than myself. Clara was waiting then for Santa, Gabi for the sausages and bacon.

This year we made two kinds of sausages, and you have to believe me when i say two, because the second ones are not in the pictures. We made pork sausages (the ones you see below) and some beef & lamb ones, thin and just a bit spicy, which disappeared from the table in about 10 minutes, as we had only 3lbs and 15 people at the table. Everybody thought the lamb and the hot paprika made them excellent, so now we know what has to be done next December. The thing is, we made them only because we had casings left, and not enough pork meat (although we bought 15 lbs pork but and about 5 pork belly, ground all together). So we mixed about 2 lbs beef with 1 lb lamb, changed a bit the condiments and used the thin casings. And also made the liver and offal stuffed sausage, which in my part of the country they call lebar (kind of a leberwurst) with pork liver, ground pork meat, lungs, pig skin and onions, which is boiled and served cold with mustard or horseradish. But once again, i have no photos since i was in the kitchen and nobody else took a picture because they were just having a good time.
We took everything to the smoke house for 3 days, and we couldn't wait to get them back and try them out. The sausages came out really nice. The cold smoke he used was perfect, did not cook the sausages all the way, and the flavor was unbelievable.

And the bacon looked and smelled amazing, but it was not cooked through, like the one from back home, which is sliced and eaten without frying it, we never do that, it's like the Swedish slab bacon you find here in some delis. But we took care of that. We boiled the pork belly in water with peppercorns and bay leaves for about 20 minutes, and then it was just perfect, especially with some onion and pickled green tomatoes (another home production) and some boiled peppery plum brandy (tuica), as the tradition calls :). Back home in some parts of the country the bacon is boiled in the brine from sauerkraut, but since ours was already cured, the brine would have made it even more saltier, that's why we used water.

Next December, i'll take photos of all these and come back with the recipes. Promise.

This is the recipe for the pork sausages as we made it:

6 lbs pork meat (3 kg)
2 lbs pork fat or pork belly
2 garlic heads
3 tablespoons salt
2-3 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dry summer savory
1 teaspoon ground juniper berries
2 tablespoons sweet paprika

sausage casings

~ We ground the meat ourselves, using the larger/coarser dial blade, and the fat through the normal smaller size, but if you don't have a meat grinder, ask the butcher to grind it for you.
~ Mince the garlic and mash it well with salt and about 1/4 cup cold water.
~ Mix together the meat, condiments and garlic. Don't overmix to make it a paste. Taste the meat to make sure is well seasoned (my husband likes to taste it raw, grossing me out every time, but you don't have to do that. Just saute a small patty, then taste it).

~ Stuff the meat into the casings and twist into 6-8 inch (15-20 cm) links. Refrigerate them uncovered overnight, or, if it's cold enough outside or you have a dry cold basement, hang them there overnight, uncovered.

We didn't smoke them ourselves, so i cannot give you any advise on that, i can tell you only that we took them to the smoke house Monday morning and picked them up Wednesday at noon. But, you could definitely check out Sherry and Mike's blog for instructions. Also, in Charcuterie says that the Hungarian paprika sausage, which is similar, is cold-smoked for 2-4 hours or until a deep rich golden brown, then hang them in a cool, dry space for 3 days.

Homemade Romanian style bacon (Leila's recipe)

brine:

for each quart of water (1 liter) you need

3/4 cup (150 g) kosher salt

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

10 whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dry summer savory (or thyme)

1/2 garlic head (about 6-7 garlic cloves, peeled)

~ Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and add the salt, the ground pepper, bay leaves, the peppercorns and the savory/thyme. Smash the garlic cloves with your knife and add them to the brine. Let it cool.

~ Put the pork belly (you could also use fresh hocks or shanks) in a container that has a lid. Pour the brine over the meat only to cover it. On top of the meat place a chopping board or plate and a couple of cans or a brick (something heavy) to hold the meat down and submerged in brine.

~ Keep the container in a cold and dark place. Turn the meat around every 3 days. The pork belly and the hocks or shanks have to stay in the brine for about 21 days. (I kept ours 17 days only, then it went to smoke so we can get it back in time for Christmas.)

~ Take the meat out of the brine, rinse it in cold water, and pat it dry. Hang the meat uncovered in a cool, dry and dark place (the refrigerator is fine) for about 10-15 hours.

~ Smoke the bacon for about 3-4 days, making sure the smoke doesn't get too hot. Leila says the best smoke comes from corn cobs, wood chips, or grape vines.

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Carnati si Slanina de casa

Stiu ca a venit primavara si ca peste tot in blogosfera au rasarit poze pastelate, luminoase, cu salate, supe, deserturi si alte mancaruri usoare si de sezon, dar saptamana trecuta am citit din nou despre afumaturi pe blogul lui Mike & Sherry de la Menu in progress, si pentru ca in ziua aia nu am mai fost in stare sa tin post si m-am dus acasa si am facut niste carnaciori la gratar, m-am gandit de ce sa nu si scriu despre asta, desi pozele sunt de acum 3 luni. Si pentru ca vorbeam de blogul lor, voiam sa spun cat de mult imi place mancarea lor simpla si autentica, de la afumaturi si carnati, la gratarul tipic american barbeque, la mancarea mexicana si asiatica si toate celelalte, totul aratand atat de bine fara fasoane si fite culinare (nu ca nu mi-ar placea si genul acela).....
Desi am ajutat-o pe mama la vremea Craciunului cand pregatea de-ale porcului, nu m-am gandit niciodata ca o sa pregatesc asa ceva AICI, pana cand Leila, o bucatareasa absolut minunata de pe Retete Culinare a postat niste poze cu slaninile si suncile pregatite de ea, si unica scapare sa nu mai poftim ca disperatii a fost sa incercam sa le facem si noi
Asa ca am facut primii carnati in Decembrie 2007, nu fara oarecare teama, dar nu i-am afumat, ca nu am avut unde. Tot atunci am facut si toba (tot multumita Leilei) si niste slanina. Si pentru ca nu mai gasesc pozele pe calculatorul meu, cred ca sunt pe al Clarei si ala si-a dat duhul de vreo 2 luni, pun aici link-ul cu pozele de pe forum (si uitandu-ma la poze acum, mi-am adus aminte ca poate curand ar trebui sa scot de la naftalina si torturile, poate in saptamanile ce vin).
Tot cam atunci am descoperit si pancetta (slanina neafumata) si toba de pe Menu in progress, si mi-a picat cu tronc blogul lor, mi-a dat curaj sa vad ca si aici, unde e cald si insorit mai mereu, poti sa incerci sa faci asa ceva.... iar in ultima perioada, de cand si-au luat si afumatoare, m-au imbolnavit de-a dreptul, de pofta si invidie, asa ca a trebuit sa afumam si noi cumva carnatii si slanina noastra. Bineinteles ca nu acasa, e imposibil la bloc, la parter, nu ca nu ne-a trecut prin cap, dar cand am fost si am cumparat matele pentru carnati, macelarul mi-a zis ca daca vrem, le pune el la fum 3 zile. Nu cred ca puteam sa-i dau vesti mai bune lui Gabi, care a fost mai incantat si innebunit de toata povestea asta cu carnatii si slanina si decat mine. Clara astepta mosul, Gabi carnatii....

Anul asta am facut doua feluri de carnati, si trebuie sa ma credeti cand zic doua, pentru ca nu apar decat unii in poza. Am facut carnati de porc, pe care ii vedeti mai sus, si altii din vita si miel, subtirei si picanti, care au disparut de pe masa in vreo 10 minute, pentru ca nu am avut decat 1.5 kg pentru vreo 15 persoane. Tuturor le-a placut gustul de miel si boiaua iute, asa ca stim ca trebuie sa-i facem din nou Decembrie ce vine. Si cand te gandesti ca i-am facut numai pentru ca ne ramasesera mate si nu mai aveam carne de porc (desi am luat vreo 7 kg de porc si 2.5 de grasime). Asa ca am amestecat un kilogram de carne de vita cu o jumatate de miel, am schimbat putin condimentele si am folosit mate mai subtiri. Si am facut si lebar (asa ii zicem noi la caltabosul fara orez), din ficat, carne tocata, plamani, soric cu grasime, pe care l-am fiert si servit apoi rece, taiat felii, cu mustar si hrean. Si din nou nu am poze pentru ca eu eram la bucatarie si nimeni altcineva nu s-a gandit, am impresia ca se simteau prea bine :)).
Am dus toti carnatii si slanina la afumat pentru 3 zile si de-abia asteptam sa-i luam inapoi si sa-i incercam. I-a tinut macelarul la fum rece de luni dimineata pana miercuri la pranz. Numai slanina nu a fost moale si gatita, cum e cea de acasa, ci cum e baconul astora de aici pe care trebuie sa-l prajesti. Dar l-am rezovat noi - fiert in apa cu boabe de piper si cateva frunze de dafin, vreo 20 de minute, numai bun cu niste ceapa si gogonele (productie proprie) si o tuica fiarta cu zahar si piper, cum cere traditia :). ***Stiu ca unii fierb slanina in zeama de varza, dar a noastra era deja sarata si zeama de varza ar fi sarat-o si mai tare, asa ca apa a fost numai buna.
La Craciunul ce vine promit poze cu toate si retete pentru ele. Promit.

Si asta e reteta pentru carnati asa cum am facut-o noi:

3 kg carne de porc

1 kg grasime de porc

2 capatani de usturoi

3 linguri de sare

2-3 linguri piper macinat

2 linguri cimbru uscat

1 lingurita ienibahar

2 linguri boia dulce

mate pentru umplut

~ noi am tocat carnea prin sita mai mare, sa fie mai grunjoasa, iar grasimea prin sita obisnuita, mai micuta, dar daca nu aveti masina de tocat, rugati macelarul sa o toace pentru voi.

~ Se piseaza usturoiul cu sarea si o cescuta de apa pana se face un mujdei.

~ Se amesteca bine carnea, condimentele si mujdeiul, pana se omogenizeaza, dar nu prea mult sa nu devina pasta. Se gusta carnea sa fie suficient de condimentata (Gabi o gusta cruda intotdeauna, in ciuda protestelor mele de fiecare data, dar se poate si altfel - prajiti o bucatica de carne in tigaie si gustati-o sa vedeti daca ii lipseste ceva).
~ Se umplu matele fara sa se indese prea tare si se rasucesc la fiecare 15-20 cm. Se pun carnatii la frigider peste noapte neacoperiti sa se zvante sau afara, daca e destul de frig, sau intr-un beci sau alt loc racoros si uscat.
Noi nu i-am afumat noi, asa ca nu pot da sfaturi la capitolul asta, dar puteti sa vedeti cum au facut Sherry si Mike pe blogul lor. De asemenea, in cartea Charcuterie au o reteta pentru carnatii unguresti cu boia care sunt tinuti la fum rece timp de 2-4 ore sau pana o culoare maroniu-roscata, apoi la uscat intr-un loc rece si uscat pentru 3 zile.

Slanina - Reteta Leilei (In ghilimele de la cap la coada, pentru ca ii apartine Liei in totalitate)

"Saramura lichida pentru carne (pulpa din spate a porcului, ciolane si slanina):
La 1 litru de apa se pun:
150 g sare
3 foi de dafin
1 lingurita piper macinat
10 boabe de piper
1 lingurita cimbru (sau o crenguta mai mica)
1/2 capatana de usturoi
~Se pune apa sa dea intr-un singur clocot, apoi se adauga sarea, piperul macinat, dafinul, boabele de piper si cimbrul. Usturoiul se zdrobeste cu lama cutitului si se adauga la saramura. Se lasa saramura sa se raceasca.
~ Se pune carnea, slanina sau ciolanele intr-un vas suficient de mare si cu capac (Lia foloseste o caldare) si se toarna saramura peste ele cat sa fie acoperite. Se pune deasupra un fund de lemn si o greutate sa le tina presate sub saramura.
~ Se pune vasul la un loc racoros si fara soare si din 3 in 3 zile intoarcem bucatile de carne.
Slanina o punem separat in saramura. Sunca (pulpa) se tine in saramura 30-35 de zile. Ciolanul se tine 21 zile. Slanina - 21 zile.
~ Dupa ce bucatile au stat suficient in saramura, se scot si se clatesc in apa rece, se sterg cu un prosop uscat si se pun la zvantat intr-un loc bine aerisit timp de 10-15 ore. Se pun apoi la afumat unde se tin pana prind o culoare roscata cca 3-4 zile, dar trebuie avut grija ca fumul sa nu fie cald. Fumul cel mai bun este cel obtinut prin arderea lujerilor de porumb sau din rumegus. La tara se mai foloseste ptr afumat ramuri de vita de vie, se spune ca este cel mai bun fum."

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Sausage and beans cassoulet with roasted peppers - Carnati cu iahnie de fasole si ardei copti

This is one of those times when i am sorry there is such a big gap between our cuisines or cooking styles & trends, the Romanian and the American one, because i am not sure how good of a job i'll do when telling you how Romanian this food is. Just as much as the pancakes with bacon and eggs are the American breakfast, or the steak and the apple or cherry pies are culinary staples here.

It wouldn't be so hard if I was Radu Anton Roman. And again, who heard of him here, besides the Romanians who live now on this side of the world? Unfortunately, you cannot find to many things online about his books and there is no biography written in English, or at least I didn’t find it. But for the Romanians who read these lines, here is an interview which i didn't read until two months ago. To make an out of line comparison to somebody American foodies know, he was like Michael Ruhlman, more of a " food poet" ( i found this somewhere, don't remember the source now, but that's how my comparison was born), story teller and historian than recipe author, but not a chef.

Radu Anton Roman put together the most amazing and representative book with traditional authentic Romanian recipes and had a Tv show traveling the country and finding our gems. His book has a wonderful style, it's just like a story that brings back in front of your eyes an archaic Romania, with its people and their traditions, customs, and superstitions, their wisdom and humor, their songs and poems. All the richness of our culture and history, combined with our culinary treasure, which we, the new generations did not get to know and live. Reading his book and watching his televison show for about two years before i moved here, made me realize how little I know about us and what a petty is that today we are so far away from that old Romania. I am not talking about the physical distance, but about the distance between the past generations and us, with our rush of being like any of the western civilizations, our rush to deny and forget who we are and where we are coming from. Moreover, it was a lesson for me that indeed we have our own Romanian cuisine, and he brought it on our tables again. His wit, charm and gift of story telling were a treat, and his anthology is a legacy cherished by so many of us, who discovered again the charm and beauty of Romania.

The back cover of the book has a quote from Jacques Yves Cousteau, who, discovering our ‘extraordinary "tchiorba" (thicker soup) and our to dream of "tourta" ( kind of a cornbread)’, said that ‘not only the world doesn’t know almost anything about Romania, but that the Romanians don’t know their miracles. As a cuisine, at least, you are a very rich people in our so called poverty’.
And the editor talks about how this book helps showing our culture through the act of cooking, intertwined with our symbolism, mysticism and traditions and how it carries you to the pan with the feeling that your ancestors will tell you what and when to do. All of this clarifying for you the troubling question: is there a Romanian cuisine? with a subtle, but well proven answer: YES.

In the opening of his book, Radu Anton Roman writes about how only a few of us today still cook Romanian food. I blush thinking that these lines were written for me... "it seems the Romanians apparently don’t love their cuisine. All of grandma’s goodies lie in dusty, abandoned recipes notebooks. We eat pizza, hamburgers, kabob or sushi. Why? For the same reason people drink cheap bad vodka from bottles with colored labels on them, instead of savoring the Romanian authentic superior plum brandy." He talks about how our recipes might not be original or unique, because after all we are part of Europe and have always been. But even the recipes we got from others, we made them our own, to the point you don't even recognize what could they have in common, besides their names. Our musaca, stuffed cabage rolls, crepes, soups and meatballs were not ours, but they are "sediments" of the Otoman occupation, or French, German, Greek, and other influences. We made them our own "discretely arranging" the original recipes, "tailoring" them like hand-me down clothes that don't fit.
This post is a come back to my roots, a confession about most of the food i actually cook and we eat in our home, but don't take pictures most of the times, because it is not very good looking. I know it sounds vain, and maybe it is. But if there are many others like me, visual eaters, and if those by chance would stumble upon this blog, my pictures would not make them crave any of those foods, or at least not yet. So, from now on, i'll try my best to cook, photograph and post more photos of Romanian foods.
In the mean time, since the next posts will not be Romanian recipes at all, consider this my mea culpa and my pledge of allegiance.

Ohhh, and please don't laugh at my smug snobbish attempt of finding an English title for this using the french cassoulet, but it was the closest i know to what this food is really like. I followed the recipe from Radu Anton Roman's book as much as i could, but there were some changes i made because i couldn't get or didn’t have all of the ingredients. That's why the one below is not the exact one from his book.

Sausage and beans cassoulet

Ingredients:
1 -1.5 lbs smoked meat (pork ribs, hocks, shanks, or turkey drumsticks/ wings)
1 lb smoked sausage
1 - 1.5 lbs beans (I use baby lima, but any other kind you like or have works well)
1 onion diced
1 bell pepper diced
2 carrots shredded
14 oz can (420 g) crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon pepper paste
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 cup oil (I use sunflower, canola or grapeseed)
1 cup white wine
fresh dill and tarragon

Soak the beans in cold water over night or at least for about 4 hours. I cook the beans in cold water and after they boil for about 3-5 minutes, I drain them and throw away that first water.
Cover the beans again with cold water, about 3 quarts, add the smoked meat, bring them to a boil, then lower the heat and let them simmer for at least an hour.
After an hour take the smoked meat out, and add the onion, carrots, bell pepper, oil, pepper paste, dry thyme, bay leaves and the wine and let it simmer for another half an hour. Stir from time to time to make sure the beans don’t stick and burn on the bottom.
Cut the smoked meat into pieces if you have a larger shank, ribs or turkey drumsticks and put them back. When the half an hour passed, add the crushed tomatoes and the meat and let it simmer for another 20 minutes or so, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the beans. The sauce should not be too watery, but not too dry either, if needed add a little bit of hot water.
In a separate fry pan saute the smoked sausages, which could be served either on the side or added to the beans in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Add fresh tarragon and dill if you like and serve with some pickles or a salad.
Possible side dishes:
- assorted pickles or sauerkraut salad,
- coleslaw ( red and white cabbage and shredded carrots, fresh dill, oil, vinegar, salt & pepper),
- roasted red bell peppers (broiled, peeled and marinated w oil, vinegar, sliced/minced fresh garlic, salt & pepper)

The beans are even better with a glass of red wine, like a Caubernet Sauvignon.

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