Boiled Kielbasa with Potatoes

Most people are familiar with smoked Kielbasa. It is already cooked, smoked, and ready to eat. Just slice and serve with a simple dip of ketchup mixed with shredded, fresh horseradish. It can be sliced into pieces or chunks and quick fried to serve warm. Great for quick hors d'oeuvres with pickles and deli rye.

I am fortunate to have access to a grocery store that sells authentic, hand-crafted smoked kielbasa. In other words, it is not packaged in plastic sleeves or tubes. Once purchased, it is wrapped in paper. Fresh. If placed in the car with you while driving home, it will scent the entire car with its earthy herby scents.

And then there is regular uncooked Polish Sausage or Kielbasa. Growing up, it came in a large coil and was usually Easter dinner. Visually, it is immediately different. It has a white/beige hue--kind of like Bratwurst.  This is what households of old would use piled with sauerkraut, onions, and new potatoes, baked in a low oven for several hours until it is one lovely-flavored meal. 

Or

Just boil it. 

Boiled food gets a bad rap, but that is once how most food was once prepared. I use it quite a bit since it is easy, and clean up is a snap. Really, it is more of a simmer.

My grandmother and mother coiled this in their large roasters along
with sauerkraut and potatoes for a long, slow braise in the oven. For
a large feast, a ham was also featured! Those days, sadly, are long gone.

Again, this is for RAW Kielbasa, not cooked and smoked.

This is more of a procedure than a recipe. What you add to the water to "boil" your sausage depends on the quality of ingredients added to the sausage. A good sausage does not need much. Why mask the taste? 

Yes, you can use beer--but not all beer... go about half-and-half and don't use a strong stout or bitter beer. A mild American lager is fine. 

Try not to cut or pierce the skin of the sausage. To do so allows the fats to escape. Fat keeps the sausage moist and flavorful. If you do, you can prepare the "gravy" below.

Finding unsmoked kielbasa is not easy unless you live near an ethnic deli. My grandmother, who took the train daily from northwest Indiana to Chicago for work at Sears, bought hers back from somewhere in the city. Where? I have no idea. Nor do I have any idea where my mother who lived in the Indiana suburbs purchased hers. I've yet to find any that compare as well in taste. The closest was Boar's Head. Now I buy it from Publix. Both are good but, in my mind, a bit too mild. Something is missing. It is possible to order on-line. I've just never done it.

Per one pound fresh kielbasa:

Place sausages in a high-sided frying pan that has a lid

Add about one small-medium onion, quartered.

Add 1/2 teaspoon black whole peppercorns

Add 1-2 dried bay leaves, torn or one fresh, bruised

Add 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled, slightly smashed

Some people add whole, dried marjoram leaves and/or whole juniper berries. I don't

But I do add about one or two (it's all you will need) whole allspice berries.

Cover with water just until sausages are submerged. Bring to a quick boil. Immediately lower heat and SIMMER on low for about 30 or minutes until they reach 160 F degrees.

The beauty of the stove-top method is cooking slow and allowing the water and steam to do the work. It can go for a long time like this. Just try to avoid a boil to prevent a "tough, dry" sausage.

If desired, during the last 15 minutes or so, add some canned small new potatoes. 

Traditionally served with potatoes, cabbage, beets and sauerkraut and always a side of horseradish along with authentic deli rye bread.

GRAVY

Yes, it is possible to make a simple gravy from the liquid. Remove about one cup, being sure to include the fat that has risen to the top.  Add a bit of butter to a small pan. Melt, add a bit flour to make a quick roux. Mix in cooking liquid until a thin gravy forms. Taste for seasoning and spoon over potatoes and sausages. 

Vegetable Beef Soup with Pasta in the Instant Pot

With beef so expensive, I rarely buy it. Lately, they have been slicing it thinner and thinner, so I snagged a one-pound package of thin-sliced top round for around seven bucks. My intention was to somehow stuff it, roll it, and bake in some kind of sauce.

Several days later . . . it was still staring me down ... every time I opened the fridge. And then a period of overcast weather moved in which dampened by culinary creativeness. And excitement.

So, I made soup.

Perhaps that was the Universe's intention all along. It gave me the opportunity to lessen my pantry and refrigerator space. I had everything on hand--always a nice feeling.

To make things even easier, I used the Instant Pot. Normally, I enjoy my soups slow simmered on the stove, a handy chunk of baguette nearby to dunk and taste, then re-season, as the afternoon progresses--especially in the winter. But I got a late start, so the IP it was. It's amazing how fast the IP is when it comes to soup!

As soup goes, this is not complicated. My intention was to add some frozen egg noodles I've had for too long. But they seemed too fussy. I had several boxes of Ditalini pasta in the pantry. Perfect to nicely cradle into a soup spoon without being messy and they cook quickly in the IP.

Notes. Please read:

--Had I fresh green beans, they would have been a great addition.

--Not all Italian seasonings are the same. The least expensive are mostly oregano with no details as to what kind: Greek? Mexican? Italian? On its own, oregano is assertive. Even bitter. I use a blend called "Little Italy" from the Spice House out of Chicago. The blend is wonderfully balanced and mellow: oregano, basil, garlic, lemon, thyme, marjoram and savory. If you need a Christmas gift for someone who loves to cook, a gift certificate from www.thespicehouse.com is unique and will be well received.

--While the soup was good as I tasted it over and over, something was just off a bit and not quite right. It had a "bite" I didn't quite like. So I lightly sprinkled on some sugar and stirred. Better. But still not what I was looking for--so I sprinkled on a bit more and, just like that, it was the permission all the flavors had been waiting for to dance as one!

--By "floret" I mean the little stem of needles that grows off the main stem of the rosemary branch.

--I'm a great fan of Aleppo pepper. It is similar to red pepper flakes but not as hot and, to me, has much more flavor. I order mine from Spice House. I always use it in place of cayenne or red pepper flakes.

--Pasta, like rice, can make your recipe "starchy." Just before adding the pasta, it give it a quick rinse in a sieve. Do this just before you need it. If you rinse and allow it to sit, it will glue itself into a sticky mass.

The next day, this soup was even better! My neighbors liked it, too! When storing leftovers, be aware the pasta will continue to soak up the broth making it thicker.

• 1 lb. thin-sliced beef, cut up (or any beef)
• 1 heaping cup celery, diced
• 1-1.5 cups diced yellow onion
• 1 heaping  cup carrot, slice/diced
• 1-1.5 cups peeled red potatoes, cut into small cubes
• 4-5 peeled garlic cloves, sliced
• About 1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• Few good pinches dried thyme leaves
• About a 2-inch snipped basil top stem
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 can water 
• More liquids if you want it "soupy"
• 1 14.5 oz can whole tomatoes, cut up. Add juice
• 1 14.5 oz can diced roasted tomatoes. Add juice
• 4 florets of rosemary, minced (not stems)
• A piece of Parmesan rind
• A squirt or two tomato paste in a tube (if needed & optional)
• salt, pepper
• About 1-2 tablespoons beef Better than Bouillon 
• Aleppo pepper
• About a dash or two of Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
• Ditalini pasta, about 1.5 cups, raw, rinsed in a sieve just before adding; less if you want more of a "soup" 
• 1-1.5 teaspoons white sugar

Turn IP to medium sautee mode. Add a bit of olive oil (I use bacon grease). When hot, add your beef and vegetables. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and  pepper Sautee just until soft and meat has lost its color. Add garlic, and dried seasonings. Add tomatoes. Stir through. Add a bit more salt and pepper. Add broths and water. Cook until warmed through. Add bouillon, rosemary, a few shakes of Aleppo pepper (or a pinch or two of red pepper flakes), a dash or two of Worcestershire. Warm through. Taste for seasonings. Add tomato paste if you think it's needed. Add Parmesan rind and basil stem.

Turn off sautee mode. Lock lid into place. Push "soup" option and process for five minutes. Do a quick release. Careful, contents will be hot! Stir. Taste for seasonings. Stir in your pasta. Lock lid back into place and allow to sit without processing until pasta is done, checking after 15-20 minutes. Or process for 2 minutes. If too thick, add more water/broth. I like thick.

Give a final taste for seasonings adding sugar if desired, but small amounts, until it just hits that "sweet spot." Remove basil stem and Parmesan rind (it may have simply melted in to the soup . . .) Ladle into bowls and serve. If desired, top with some shaved Parm. and a side of crusty bread.