Fresh Homemade Sausages by Alex Duarte in Vallarta Alex Duarte - Homemade Sausages by Alex | |
November 20, 2014 |
Alex Duarte was a Journeyman sausage maker for Bristol Farms in South Pasadena, California.
Making all the fresh sausages for the meat department, dozens of recipes from all over the world, from the traditional sausages made with pork (Bratwursts, Italian, Kielbasa, Dutch, Cajun, etc) to chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, veal, et all. All authentic recipes, and even some of the recipes were actually created by me and now I am making them at home here in Puerto Vallarta.
Only fresh, homemade from scratch and in small batches, the ideal way to make them to preserve the flavor of all pure and fresh ingredients, no MSG, additives, preservatives, artificial flavors or colors, nitrates, or fillers added.
The process includes obtaining the freshest, best quality meats, grinding the meat, preparing the spices, herbs, oils, etc. Mixing the ingredients, letting them stand in the fridge overnight for all the flavors to blend and then stuffing the links, packing and date-labeling them to freeze them immediately and preserve freshness. They would last in average 5 to 6 months in the freezer.
Why are homemade in small batches, fresh sausages so special?
After moving back to México for the last 8 years, and getting nothing but mass produced sausages that have no real flavor to them or the right traditional balance or consistency, like coarse meat for kielbasa, fennel in the Italian sausages, etc., I was disgusted with the additives or preservatives added, all of them harmful chemicals that we should truly avoid, and the mysterious undesired animal parts ground and added to the mix.
Just this year, some dear friends of mine brought me the equipment needed to be able to make as many recipes as I want here, mind you, many spices I would still rely on friends going to different countries and bring back for me. But the quality of the meat and produce and some other ingredients here, is just awesome and I fully take advantage of it in preparing the sausages.
As a result, the sausages taste better, as simple as that.
The different varieties I can make go beyond the well known such as the Kielbasa or the Italians, and my repeat customers get adventurous and taste sublime favorites of mine, like, have you ever heard of Lamb Merguez Mediterranean Sausage? (Only leg of lamb, all fresh herbs, the hardest to make and the first one I made in México). Or the Sicilian Cheese Sausage? (My personal favorite, made with pork shoulder meat, Italian spices, red wine, Peccorino Cheese). The Creole Chicken and Shrimp? Made with all chicken breast meat, shrimp, red onions, rubbed Southern spicemixes, full of soul?
They are healthier; this type of homemade sausages is better for you. The appropriate salt and fat content. Not having to worry about chemicals, additives or preservatives makes you feel better even while you cook them.
Excellent quality, awesome looking presentation, the right size and texture and you can trust that no lips, noses or any unwanted miscellaneous parts are used.
Varieties
• English Bangers. Traditional mild but flavorful sausage, popularly served as Bangers and Mash; all pork, can also be used as topping, cooked and in chunks in soups, stews, casseroles; grilled for sandwiches, hoagies, stir frying with veggies; baked to serve as side dish or as part of buffets.
• Chicken Fiesta. Spicy and very flavorful, with Italian flavors, all chicken breast meat with lots of diced bell peppers of every color, red onions, parsley. For pastas, soups, sandwiches, pita bread, grilled and sliced over pizza, pasta, veggies or grains. Cooked and chopped for stuffings, calzone, etc.
• Creole Chicken and Shrimp. Very spicy but well balanced, not overpowering. With all chicken breast meat and shrimp; perfect for paella, to mix with smoked products; grilled and sliced to toss over salads, rice, pasta, veggie stir fry. Served pan-fried, juicy as main course with mussels, smoked oysters, grilled veggies like artichoke, peppers, corn and a dipping sauce.
• Cajun. Spicy and bold. Pork. Excellent over rice or in slow-cooker recipes. As part of traditional Southern recipes such as poor boy sandwiches, jambalaya, rice dishes, potato dishes. Used for poultry stuffing, mixed with beans, in grilled sandwiches, etc.
• Pennsylvania Dutch. Country recipe, tasty and with a full flavor, made in bulk, pork. Used to mix with eggs, as topping, for stuffing, to fry and mix with hearty ingredients. Perfect for quick dishes but sophisticated enough to use to enhance casseroles, pies, stews, etc.
• Polish Kielbasa. Versatile sausage with a strong, garlicky-peppery flavor; pork; used traditionally as a grilled sausage for sandwiches or to complement different traditional dishes. For buffet servings, as a side dish with starchy foods, etc.
• German Bratwurst. A popular sausage in stadiums, mild and rich flavor, filling and of a smoother consistency than most fresh sausages. Pork. Perfect for sandwiches and to serve with grilled veggies, potatoes, cabbage, cheese recipes etc. Great when cooked in beer in the last minutes!
• Sweet or Hot Italian. These sausages are the most used and traditional of them all, they have a myriad of uses and could even be used in baking empanadas, croissants, quiches etc. Pork. Hot Italian is bold and spicy, rich and juicy; Sweet Italian is mild but very flavorful, sweet and they are both very versatile, favorites for pizza, sandwiches, wraps, pasta, sauces, etc.
• Mediterranean Lamb Merguez Sausage. Sublime and exotic, yet not gamey or too strong; leg of lamb, fresh herbs, no dry spices used here, crushed herbs and seeds to release the oils and full flavor, Used grilled to accompany veggies, quinoa, lentils, different beans, or cooked and chopped in soups, casseroles, rice recipes & fruity salads.
• Sicilian Cheese Sausage (My favorite). Bold, rich and flavorful, pork with Italian spices, red wine and Peccorino Cheese. Ideal for pastas, creamy recipes, grilling, buffets, cooked and sliced as topping, etc.
• Florentine Turkey Sausage. The leanest sausage, all turkey breast, mild Italian spices, sweet onions, white wine and ideal to add cooked and in chunks in soups, casseroles, stews and any recipe that would help serve it warm and moist, due to the lean, dry consistency once cooked.
• Red Pepper Pork Sausage Patties. This is a great recipe. Pork; red peppercorn and spices freshly ground, to form these rather thin patties, that you flash fry in a pan with a little oil and serve in a bun, create your own combo. Serve with eggs, as a side dish, etc. Totally different than any hamburger patties.
• Sheboygan Bratwurst. A favorite at the Ballpark. Mainly pork, with beef and chicken. Flavorful, mild and juicy. Ideally grilled to a perfect crisp and served in a steamed bun, loaded up with grilled onions, mustard and sauerkraut and with a side of garlic French fries.
• Soy Cajun Sausage. Spicy ltalian Soy Sausage. These are vegan alternatives. Spicy and light. Texturized soy and Cajun spices, or ltalian spices; with vegetable oil and packed in bulk in bags of 300 grams. Versatile recipes that allows for pan frying to use with eggs, in tacos, stir frying, tostadas, etc; Or as topping or filling for any ground meat dish, but guilt free! Delicious, spicy and very light. The Cajun is great in Po Boy and Sloppy Joe’s type of sandwiches, and the ltalian type is great in lasagna, or both to use instead of ground meats or fried crispy and tossed on salads.
and more....
I hope this is informative, and please contact me for any orders and any additional info you may want. Some of these pork recipes could also be made using chicken or turkey, when a leaner sausage is requested.
You will see the pictures above of the sausages I currently have available to sell, in packages of 4 sausages, 100 pesos per package and only in the case of the bulk Pennsylvania Dutch Sausage (each package is 250 grams) so one package is 40 pesos, two for 80 pesos or three for 100 pesos.
Home delivery is available. Telephone Alex Duarte at (322) 120-1841 or email contact is niniviteminister@hotmail.com.
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