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Italian Sausage and Zucchini Stir Fry

1 lb. Usinger’s Fresh Italian Sausage, sliced

1/2 C. chopped onion

2 C. chopped, peeled tomatoes

4 C. shredded unpared zucchini

1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 C. Parmesan Cheese

Brown sausage, add onions, and cook 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except Parmesan Cheese. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese.

 

Good served with green salad or jello mold and bread.

 

Serves 4.

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Hot Kielbasa Dip

1 – 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/3 C. dairy sour cream

1/3 C. milk

1 T. salad dressing or mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

8 oz. Usinger’s Smoked Kielbasa or Smoked Polish Sausage, finely chopped

1/2 C. slice green onions

1/4 C. grated Parmesan Cheese

Fresh vegetables, crackers, or rye bread

 

In 1.5 quart microwaveable casserole micro-cook cream cheese, uncovered, on 100% power (high)

1 minute or until soft. Stir in sour cream, milk, mayonnaise or salad dressing, and Worcestershire Sauce.

Add the sausage, half the onion, and Parmesan Cheese. Stir.

Cook uncovered on high 2 to 4 minutes or until heated through, stirring once. Sprinkle with remaining onion. Serve with crackers, rye bread, or vegetables.

Yields 2.5 cups of dip.

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My Kielbasa Favorite

 

4 C. thinly sliced cabbage

1 medium onion, sliced

1 lb. Usinger’s Smoked Kielbasa or Smoked Polish Sausage with Garlic, cut into 1/2″ slices

3/4 C. sour cream

2 T. prepared brown mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper
In large skillet combine cabbage, onion, and sausage. Cover and cook over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, until cabbage and onion are soft and sausage is browned. Stir in sour cream, mustard, salt, and pepper. Heat through.

Makes 4 servings.

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Pork Chops with Knackwurst

4 pork loin or rib chops

1 T. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 sweet pickles, finely chopped

6 oz. Usinger’s Knackwurst, in 1/4″ slices

2 tsp. caraway seed

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3/4 C. water

3 medium potatoes, cut into 1/8″ slices

Parsley or chives for garnish

 

Directions:
Trim any excess fat from the pork chops. Heat oil in 10″ skillet until hot. Cook pork chops over medium heat until brown on both sides (about 15 minutes); remove from pan. Cook and stir onion, carrot, pickles, and knackwurst in skillet until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Arrange pork chops on vegetable mixture; sprinkle with caraway seed, salt, and pepper. Pour water over pork chops. Arrange potato slices on top. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until pork chops and potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Garnish with parsley or chives.

 

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Portuguese Soup

 

6 C. chicken broth

2 to 2 1/2 lbs. Usinger’s Andouille or Chorizo, cut in 1/2 inch chunks

2 lbs. peeled potatoes, cut in large pieces

1 can of tomatoes

1 green pepper, diced

1 head of cabbage, chopped coarsely

3 onions, chopped or sliced

2 large carrots, sliced

Garlic powder or granulated garlic

Salt & Pepper

1 can of kidney beans

1 can of garbanzo beans

Combine all ingredients except the beans in a large pot. Add enough water to cover completely.

Bring to boiling, then simmer until thick (about 3 hours).

Shut off heat. Add kidney beans (drained) and garbanzo beans.

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Sausage Chili

3 strips Usinger Applewood bacon (diced)
2 1/2 lbs. Usinger¹s Andouille or other Usinger¹s spicy smoked sausage. Grind or dice into small pieces
3 cups chopped onions
1 cup Green or Red Pepper diced
1 cup celery diced
2 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups cooked red kidney beans
Sour cream (optional)
Grated Cheddar cheese (optional)

 

Directions:
In a large heavy pot, slowly cook the bacon until almost crispy.
Add the sausage and brown about 5 minutes. Stirring often.
Add the onions, peppers, celery and spices.
Cook stirring often until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and kidney beans. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered about 30 minutes.
Stir often to prevent from sticking.
Season with salt and pepper (optional)

Serve hot with optional toppings.

 

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Finding Your Favorites

One thing I hear from time to time is that a customer can’t find some of our products at their local grocery store.  Some of grandma’s favorite dishes that you remember as a kid may require a product that isn’t available at the local grocer.  At Usinger’s, we make over 100 different types of sausages and meats.  That’s more shelf space than you’re going to get from a typical store.  You can however, find all of our products at Usinger’s retail store on Old World 3rd street in downtown Milwaukee.  Many of the items we make are specialty sausages, these are the kind of things you won’t find at chain stores, but can find if you take a trip back in time at our turn of the century store.  There are also some great bargains on our famous seconds table.  This includes over runs, slightly over or under weight products, new products that aren’t yet being mass-produced, all types of things that are bargain priced but have the distinct flavor of Usinger’s.  I invite you to stop in.  I’ll bet you’ll find just what you’re looking for.

 

 

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Grilling Season

Before you start the grill, know your sausage.  While they all taste great, there are differences in how Usinger’s products should be prepared.

Usinger Cooked Brat –  The white brat.  Bavarian style made with finely chopped Pork and Veal.  These are the type served all over Germany.  When grilled they actually swell and get plumper as they are cooked.  Grilling gives them a crispy outer skin and smooth flavorful center.

Usinger Fresh Brat – My method for grilling a fresh brat is “low and slow”.  It’s the opposite of grilling a steak, which you sear right away to seal in the juices and then cook them at a lower temperature.  With a fresh bratwurst it has to acclimate to the heat slowly.  Too much heat too quickly can cause the brat to swell so much that it will break the casing, which is what you are really trying to avoid.  If the casing breaks, all of the juices and spices wind up in your grill.

Usinger Natural Casing Beef Frankfurters – These are meaty, juicy and have more than a hint of fresh garlic.  Grilling enhances the “pop” when you bite into the natural casing.

Usinger Smoked Andouille Sausage – This is a great sausage with lots of complex flavors.  Spicy, smoky and tangy all at once.

Additional tips – Personally, I’m not a fan of parboiling.  It can change the texture of the casing and dilute the flavor of a perfectly spiced sausage.  If you’re short on time, the pre-cooked are quick and don’t require the care of fresh meat.

If you like Kraut, try our Festival style sauerkraut.  It’s pre-cooked also and may be the only condiment you need.

Enjoy!

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Real Smoke

Real smoke means real flavor.  At Usinger’s, our sausage is smoked in authentic two story brick smokehouses, just like it was back in 1880.  Usinger’s doesn’t use artificial smoke flavor injections or spray tan like coatings on casings.  We prefer natural hardwoods like Hickory, Oak and Ash.  Our smoke products spend hours over smoldering sawdust and logs, more like cooking over a campfire.  It takes time and some acquired technique to make sausage this way, which is why a lot of companies don’t do it.  When you do it right however, the taste is unmatched.  That’s the taste we’re looking for at Usinger’s.