Day 25: Impromptu Sausage Party

This morning’s breakfast was a tribute to the ridiculous; the coconutellvis: a triple decker peanut butter, coconut butter, nutella, banana, honey and bacon sandwich.  Good thing I had a breakfast partner to split it with.  My nephew Anthony is the definition of lean, so I wasn’t worried that the calorie count would have any long lasting effects on him.  We assembled it together and enjoyed the sizzle as the sandwich hit the hot pan.  Once cut open, it oozed a gooey burst of flavour.  Neither half-sandwich  lasted long, and our cups of cold milk went with the coconutellvis as well as beer goes with wings.  I absolutely loved it and showed that the ridiculous can be good for reasons beyond the appreciation of sheer absurdity…Anthony seemed less impressed, but I suspect it’s because he doesn’t like anything to get in the way of bacon flavour.

Pig tails seasoned as waiting to be stewed for tomorrow's dinner

Anthony and I joined my parents for a lunch of pappardelle with pork sauce.  Mom gave me some quick lessons on the tomato sauce which was made with sausage and pork rib ends.  Apparently a good sauce will show that it’s done when a layer of oil forms at the top…you can then choose whether to drain that layer off, or stir it back in.  I’m not convinced of mom’s method here, it smacks of an old wives tale, but the sauce was amazing so I guess I have no reason to doubt whatever witchcraft she’s got going on in the kitchen.

Pappardelle with tomato pork sauce

I was out in Mississauga and passed by Starsky, a well-known Polish grocery store.  I’ve been told that it has the largest deli meat counter in North America.  After seeing it for myself for the first time, I believe it.  The choice was simply overwhelming.  I picked up three types of raw sausage, blood sausage, smoked sausage, two types of bacon, salo, pork pate, pork stock cubes, potato and bacon perogies, and a seasoning mix for pork.  Admittedly, I went a little overboard on my shopping trip…that can happen when you have bacon on the brain.  But it’s hard to resist when the sights and smells are all around you. 

Only one section of the deli meats counter

Paul Prudhomme?  I swear that's Dom Delouise!

I called my brother Paul and asked what he was doing for dinner.  When he told me that his family was going to prepare something small, I offered to bring the party to his place; and that’s how the impromptu sausage party came to be.  The pork based offering of 5 types of sausage and two types of bacon was impressive and delicious, but I was sad to find that nobody was willing to have the blood sausage.  I prefer mine with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of salt.  But it’s true, the taste isn’t for everyone, and some people can’t get past the name…blood sausage…say it slowly, it really does make it less appetizing.

Rib flavoured stock cubes

Pork liver pate x 3