Sausage Bread on Christmas - more anticipated than Santa!

A big part of our holiday tradition is to make sausage bread. Like all good Italians, on Christmas Eve we do our best to follow the traditional "Feast of the Seven Fishes" , however, a few loaves of sausage bread always find their way onto the menu. Our Mom and cousin Solvita were the forefounders of the tradition and we continue to carry it on every Christmas Eve...

The preparation is a bit time consuming. The recipe makes three loaves and the first step is to proof the dough (pizza dough purchased at the supermarket will do). Next, sautee on medium onion along with a red and green bell pepper. RRR & I always seem to question this amount but it is correct. After the vegetables have softened, place them in a colander and strain to remove excess water.

Next, sautee two pounds of sausage (sweet or hot with casing removed). It doesn't matter but most people seem to prefer sweet. Again, drain after sauteing. What we started doing is to place the sausage in the food processor and pulse a few times to keep the sausage pieces uniform.

Combine the cooked sausage, peppers and onions in a large bowl. Add 2 pounds of shredded mozzarella to this mixture and finally add one beaten egg to bind the ingredients.

Roll out the proofed dough onto a floured surface, making sure it is thin but not so thin that the dough will break during cooking. Spoon a thin layer of the sausage, pepper and mozzarella mixture in the middle of the dough and begin to roll the dough up starting from one edge. Shape the roll into a crescent and place on a baking sheet. We line the sheet with foil so we can easily wrap up the bread once it cools. Brush lightly with one beaten egg and generously sprinkle sesame seeds on the roll.

Bake for one hour (yes that's one hour) in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.

If you make in advance and give a good 30 - 45 minutes for the bread to reheat.

Let cool before cutting and sit back and enjoy the loving looks you will get from your company.

Ask the Foodie about Escarole!

Hey,

I asked for the escarole and beans recipe at the Jet game. Don't know if you'll be at 16-G on New Years Eve for Oakland. How about the recipe?

Joe "Namath"


Well Broadway Joe,

Thanks for the email. I will be at 16-G on Sunday so I'll see you there and I did not forget your recipe request.

This gem comes courtesy of my Dad's girlfriend Marie and it is in great demand in her family. And with any homegrown recipe (especially Italian ones), there are not exact amounts, you need to wing it.

3 - 4 lbs of escarole
garlic
bacon (or pepperoni)
large can of cannellini beans
chicken stock (optional)

Cut off ends of escarole and wash thoroughly. You may need to rinse off 6 or 7 times to get rid of all the sand and grit that can get in between the escarole leaves. Boil escarole and strain - it will reduce considerably.

Meanwhile, brown garlic in olive oil and brown bacon or pepperoni. Throw in escarole and cook for at least an hour until escarole really comes apart and you can put a fork through it.

Add a can of rinsed cannellini beans and let cook for another half an hour. At this point you can add a can of chicken stock if desired.

Enjoy!
"Foodie"

All roads lead to Hingham Center's Square Cafe

I made my way up to RRR's in Massachusetts on Friday afternoon. After much debate on whether to dine at Caffe Tosca for their fantastic pizza or The Square Cafe for their fantastic drinks, The Square Cafe in Hingham Center won.

We started our early meal with a pomegranate martini for RRR and an X-Rated martini for me. The pomegranate martini lived up to my sister's hype - it was big, smooth and had just enough juice; a perfect mix. The X-Rated was a blood orange martini and apparently X-Rated is an actual brand with blood orange juice mixed right in with the vodka - the bartender added a bit of Grey Goose vodka to make it super smooth with a nice kick! Who knew? I'm looking for this on my next trip to the liquor store!

We shared a beet salad which was a mix of red & yellow beets, candied pecans, and bleu cheese. The salad was good but there weren't a lot of pecans and cheese compared to RRR's prior visit but the beets were delicious.

We continued our meal with the Square Burger with smoked (Applewood?) bacon and Gruyere cheese and French Fries. We both loved this dish especially with the crispy shallots but were not sure if it was due to the quality of the beef and cheese or our lack of burgers for comparison. The baby potatoes were a nice touch and a good departure from the usual side of fries.

Finally, we split an order of crabcakes, a personal favorite of mine. The crabcakes were very good, not too many bread crumbs to overpower the lump crabmeat and a delicate mustard sauce - a perfect accompaniment.

We also enjoyed some delightful wine on our visit; a Cote du Rhone for RRR and an outstanding Fourteen Hands Merlot from Washington State for me. Thanks to the film "Sideways" I've stayed away from merlot but this one has won back my heart.

What a way to kick off Christmas in New England!