Inauguration Sausage

I want to thank everyone who sent in ideas for an inaugural sausage. I received an interesting array of suggestions. All had ingredients that symbolized some aspects our democratic traditions or of our new president.

From Joe Markowitz and Lisa Espada came separate suggestions for sausages with red, white, and blue ingredients. Joe nominated a dessert sausage made with “red raspberries, white marshmallows and blue berries.” Lisa wanted healthful meats (either ground pork or chicken that is fed with an Omega-3 diet) combined with “red pepper flakes (red), fresh blueberry puree (blue), and fat (white).  So you have the red, white and blue in the sausage along with healthy fed pork/chicken.  You can call it the Obama-3 Patriotic Sausage.”

Some people wanted the ingredients to be linked to places associated with the president-elect or that symbolized aspects of his life. Neal Lester thought the sausage should contain pineapple. Patricia Hanrahan thought “it should be a blend, since Obama is bi-racial and a mélange of cultures -- Kansas, Hawaii, Kenya and Indonesia. He's also very mellow, so while Indonesian food is spicy, perhaps the sausage would only hint at "sataysage" tastes. Julie Mounts offered a recipe with kaffir lime [used in Indonesian cooking as well as in other parts of Southeast Asia] and Hawaiian macadamia nuts. On a more cerebral level, Marsha Wiener suggested that the inaugural sausage be seasoned with “spices that spell HOPE. Harrisa, oregano, parseley and ???”

But as far as symbolic ingredients go, Alan Savada said “no matter how much we love the incoming administration, a sausage must have PORK!” This sentiment was echoed by my friend and mentor, Wurstmeister Jan Van der Lieck, who said the sausage should be only pork, high quality pork to be sure, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, but pork!

Samuel Fromartz thought the inaugural sausage “should be in a Chicago  tradition of Polish or German sausage perhaps. A commemorative Obama Brat?”

Playing on Sam’s suggestion, my own candidate is a cross between a Chicago hotdog and a DC halfsmoke. With this sausage we not only combine traditions of two cities, we present both the beef and the pork. To me the beef represents sound policy and pork makes it possible to get bills passed.

My younger son, Lester, who has a keen interest in politics and cooking, suggested that the inaugural sausages be dubbed “Barakwurst™.” So it will be!

From this sausage-maker’s point of view, the candidates for the inaugural sausage should be limited to the savory variety. (Sorry, Joe.) Also, the ingredients should be neither difficult to work with, as are kaffir lime leaves (though I love their flavor), nor so expensive to make the sausage costly to make (such a macadamias and pineapple).

VOTE
Thus, the candidates for the inaugural Barakwurst™ are two:

1. A cross between a DC halfsmoke and a Chicago hotdog.

2. A simple sausage of pork, salt, and pepper. This kind of sausage is found in most countries where pork is eaten.

Please send an email to links@simply-sausage.com to let me know which one you prefer.


Sausages and legislation.  The great German Chancellor of the latter half of the 19th century, Otto von Bismarck, is reported to have said that anyone who cares about sausages and legislation should not see either being made. To symbolize the much hoped-for openness of the incoming administration and to demonstrate my own commitment to openness, we will make a video of the inaugural sausage being made and put it on U Tube.

Again, thanks for all the interesting ideas.
Stan

The mission of Simply Sausage is to produce the most delicious sausages in the US and develop an appreciation for artisanal sausages among people who love fine food.

We are well on our way to accomplishing the first part of our goal. Food writer Thomas Head has said of us:"You've elevated the humble sausage to an entirely new plane."

To add to your enjoyment of the holiday season we are offering our butifarra, sweet Italian, merguez, and sage sausages in bulk for use in turkey stuffings. Here are some links to our favorite recipes:

Apple & Sausage Stuffing

Tortilla Stuffing with Sausage & Sage

Herman's Cornbread Stuffing

For holiday parties and brunches try our mini links. They can be baked in pastry like "pigs in blankets" or sautéed or baked an served on toothpicks. The following are available in links ranging from 2/3 oz to 2 oz. (foodservice only):

Mini Butifarra Fresh Pork Sausage (1 oz. link)
Mini Toulouse Recipe Fresh Pork Sausage (1 oz. link)
Sweet Italian Recipe Fresh Pork Sausage (X-mas Morning Breakfast Sausage) (2 oz. link)
Spicy Italian Sausage Recipe (2 oz. link)
Chorizito Recipe Mild Fresh Pork Mini Chorizo(2/3 oz. link)
Mini Merguez Recipe Spicy Lamb and Beef Sausage (Contains no pork.)  (2 oz. link)
Traditional Nürnburger Recipe Fresh Pork Bratwurst (1 oz. link)
Sage Recipe Fresh Breakfast Sausage (2 oz. link)
Garlic Sausage (Garlic Bratwurst — Our Kielbasa Recipe) (2 oz. link)