Green Bean and Sausage Sandwich with Pear Mustard and Thyme
A bag full of green beans and a handful of overly ripe pears called for an urgent recipe. In the end, it became a sandwich, almost everything works in a sandwich, but if you prefer, you could easily leave out the bun and go for a proper lunch or dinner.
Crisp green beans, sautéed until just al dente, pair deliciously well with hearty herb sausage and honey-sweet pears. I cook the fruit in the sausages' concentrated frying juices until golden and soft, but still in shape. A part of them goes on top of the beans snuggled in next to the meat but the rest is turned into a spicy and aromatic fruit mustard - it's so good, you can also use it for steak, roasts and burgers. I'm absolutely hooked on it! The ratio has to be balanced, lots of pear stand up confidently against a teaspoon of fine Dijon mustard. It's more of a mustardy sauce than a thick dip, fruity and rich. And don't expect a beauty, it comes in a rather pale beige but the taste totally makes up for it.
Green Bean and Sausage Sandwich with Pear Mustard and Thyme
Serves 2 (as sandwiches, or without the buns, as a warm one pan dish)
buns, cut in half, 2
green beans, the ends snipped off, 160g / 5 1/2 ounces (use 300g / 10 1/2 ounces beans if you serve them without the bun)
olive oil
fine sea salt
ground pepper
herbed sausages 2
pears, rinsed (not peeled), cored, cut into slim wedges, 2
Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon
For the topping
fresh thyme leaves 1-2 teaspoons
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar
In a large pot, blanche the beans for a few minutes in salted water until al dente, drain and rinse quickly with cold water. Transfer back to the pot, stir in a splash of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy pan and cook the sausages on medium heat for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Take the meat out of the pan and set aside, add the pear wedges (leave 2 wedges out on a plate) and sauté for about 1 minute on each side until golden brown, set the pan aside. Transfer about 100g / 3 1/2 ounces of the cooked pear into a blender, add the mustard and purée until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and mustard to taste and set aside. If you want to serve it as a warm pan dish stop here, add the sausages and beans to the pan and serve with the pear mustard sauce and thyme.
For the sandwich, cut the remaining uncooked pear wedges into slim slices. Brush the soft inside of the buns with the juices from the pan and lay the beans and uncooked, sliced pear on top. Divide the sausage and cooked pear wedges between the buns and sprinkle with crushed pepper and thyme. Finish it off with luscious dollops of the pear mustard, close the bun and enjoy.
Caramelized Plum and Sausage Sandwich with Rosemary and Coriander Oil
This sandwich has been on my mind for weeks and it might have something to do with the fact that my kitchen has become a store room for Damson plums. I buy these fruits in big baskets, lots of them, and it doesn't seem like it's going to end soon. As long as they are in season, I'm a loyal and dedicated fan! They give me endless inspiration for sweet and savory dishes and for new culinary experiments. I'm hooked on their strong taste, this subtle sweet and sour combination goes so well with all kinds of spices and flavours. The common round black plums are another kind that taste much sweeter but they're lacking in depth, so I strongly recommend Damsons for my sandwich!
And here it comes, a new sausage sandwich! The last time I made one was in Malta, my sausage sandwich with rucola and coriander oil. Today, I feature this spice oil again, coriander seed infused olive oil, as it goes so well with this kind of meat. The seeds are actually one of the main ingredients of Maltese sausage which is one of the best in the world to me (and that means a lot from a German!). I sprinkle the oil and the crunchy seeds on the buns and let them soak into the soft and juicy sponginess, that's my favourite way to start a sandwich!
I fried a couple thick, coarse sausages with fresh rosemary needles. The herb is great for the topping when it turns woody and crisp, but the needles also add their aroma to the frying juices which I pour on the buns before I put the meat on. And now, my fruit of the season comes in, I caramelized the plums for just a few minutes in sugary butter, I wanted them soft but not soggy. Their sour sweetness combined with the dark flavour of caramel is all a sausage sandwich could ask for! We loved it!
Caramelized Plum and Sausage Sandwich with Rosemary and Coriander Oil
For 2 sandwiches you need
juicy buns, cut in half, 2
coarse sausages (like Salsiccia) 2
fresh rosemary, the needles of a small sprig
plums (preferably Damsons), cut in half and pitted, 8
butter 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar 1 teaspoon
olive oil 3 tablespoons plus more for the sausages
coriander seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar, 1 teaspoon
In a sauce pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the coriander seeds and let them infuse the oil on medium heat for 2 minutes.
In a heavy pan, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the sausages until golden brown on all sides. Add the rosemary needles for the last 2 minutes or until they are crisp, but not dark. Cut the sausages in half and set aside, keep the frying juices.
Melt the butter and sugar in a pan on a high temperature. When the sugar starts to turn brown, add the plums, cut side first. Cook for 2 minutes, gently turn the fruits and cook on the other side for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat.
Brush the buns with the coriander oil, add some of the seeds and lay the plums on top. Brush the sausages with a little of the caramelized juices of the plums and put them on top of the fruits. Pour all the remaining juices of the sausages and plums over the sandwiches and sprinkle with a few of the crisp rosemary needles. Close, squeeze and enjoy!
Mediterranean Sausage Sandwich with Rucola and Coriander Oil
For this rich sandwich you need strong and tasty, coarse sausages, stuffed with flavours. Maltese sausage is ideal as it is the most aromatic and also the chunkiest sausage I've ever eaten. The meat is enhanced with lots of garlic, coriander seeds, spicy black peppercorns and parsley, while sea salt adds a strong saltiness. These sausages are perfect for a thick wintery vegetable soup, but in summer I like to have them in sandwiches. You could also use an Italian salsiccia which is also rich in flavours.
I like to fry the sausages first, then I deglaze them in the pan with a splash of wine, sweet wine even. I close the pan with a lid and let the meat cook in the juices until it's still a bit pinky on the inside. When you fry them only, they tend to dry out as they need quite a few minutes to be cooked through, and I like them juicy! Some people here in Malta like to eat them raw, a habit I'm a bit suspicious of due to the hot climate, but the taste apparently is amazing, according to my friends!
For this week's sandwich, I cut a crusty sourdough bun in half and brushed both sides with the cooking juices before I covered the bottom side with rucola (arugula or rocket salad) leaves and thick slices of juicy sausage. I sprinkled the meat with a bit of olive oil infused with coriander seeds and squeezed the bun together for it to soak all the nice and aromatic cooking liquids. This sandwich is quite hearty but the rucola and the coriander add a light summery feeling to it!
Mediterranean Sausage Sandwich with Rucola and Coriander Oil
For 2 sandwiches you need
crusty sourdough buns, cut in half, 2
thick, coarse sausages, preferably with herbs and spices like salsiccia, 2
rucola leaves, a handful
olive oil 3 tablespoons plus more for frying
coriander seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar, 1/2 teaspoon
white wine for deglazing
Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan with the coriander seeds for a few minutes to infuse the oil.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and fry the sausages until golden brown on all sides. Deglaze with a splash of wine, close with a lid and cook for a few minutes until the meat is just a little pink on the inside. Cut the sausages into thick slices.
Brush both sides of the bun with the cooking liquid, cover with rucola leaves and spread the sausage slices on top. Sprinkle with the coriander oil and close the bun, pushing it together a bit.
