Alberta Co-op Grocery

New Sausage!

Posted February 1st, 2012

by Amber, Perishables Buyer

I’ve been looking for amazing chicken sausage for our store for the past year, and oh my gosh, have I found it!  From Joe and Karen Schueller, Rain Shadow El Rancho in Scio, OR just released two delicious chicken sausages- Apple Cinnamon and Mediterranean-Style.  My bestie Liz was kind enough to make me a scrumptious brunch last week and we tried a sample of the Apple Cinnamon.  We cooked a sausage separately from the meal to gauge the flavor, and it was ridiculously good.  I don’t even like apple sausage, and I couldn’t get enough of it..  Slightly sweet, incredibly moist and fresh, with a high quality casing that browned perfectly.

Brunch was amazing (as always- hence Liz being my bestie), and consisted of cheddar jalapeno grits (featuring Sweet Creek Foods Pickled Jalapenos and new Tillamook Vintage Extra Sharp Smoked White Cheddar), fried Phoenix Farm eggs, and the keynote speaker- a hash of parsnips, mushrooms, onion, garlic, kale, “secret sauce” and the chicken apple sausage.  The balance of the slight sweetness of the sausage with the parsnips was incredible, and will surely make it’s way back into our brunch rotation.

Don’t take my word for it- give it a try for your next brunch date!  Both sausages are available for $8.79/lb.

Coming soon- duck pepperoni!

Tags: farmers, local, sausage, sustainablity
Posted in Announcements, Food and Drink, Spotlight

Next-Day Turkey Soup

Posted December 27th, 2011

I know how it can be, after a huge meal, trying to figure out what to do with all that food once all your guests have gone home, and life begins to return to normal after the holiday frenzies.  Turkey sandwiches get boring, and all the side veggies that were so delicious in the moment just don’t seem to cut the mustard once re-heated.  Well, in an answer to these terrible woes, I bring you a solution: Next-Day Turkey Soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 turkey carcass, all meat removed
• 1 onion, halved, plus 1 onion, minced
• 1 carrot, halved lengthwise, plus 1 carrot, minced
• 1 whole stalk celery, plus 1 more stalk, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups dark turkey meat
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 carrot, minced
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 3 cups leftover cooked Thanksgiving side vegetables (Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, green beans)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

Directions:

Put chicken broth, turkey, onion halves, carrot halves, 1 celery stalk, and 1 bay leaf in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 1 1/2 hours. Finely dice the remaining onion, carrot and celery and reserve.

Dice the turkey meat. Make sure meat pieces are no larger than the size of a soup spoon. (If preparing soup the next day, be sure to store leftover turkey meat in an airtight container before placing it in the refrigerator, top with 1 or 2 ladles full of broth to keep meat moist.)

Before straining broth, remove large bones and carcass with tongs. Strain the broth through a sieve, covered with wet cheese cloth. Discard the solids. Transfer broth to a bowl set in a bath of ice water, which will cool the broth quickly and help keep it fresher longer. This can be done the night before and stored in the refrigerator until the next day.

In a large soup pot, heat garlic cloves in the olive oil. Allow to brown slightly and add minced carrots, celery, and onion. Sweat over medium-low heat until softened, about 7 or 8 minutes.

Dice the leftover vegetables (like your Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and green beans). Add the chopped sage to the soup pot along with the turkey broth and the remaining bay leaf. Bring to a simmer. When simmering, add all the leftover veggies, except the sweet potatoes, and diced turkey meat to the soup. Bring it back up to a simmer. Finally, add the sweet potatoes to the center, and gently push them down. Turn the heat off and cover. Allow to sit and steam for 5 to 7 minutes.

Let simmer for 5 more minutes and serve.

Tags: leftovers, soup, specials, sustainablity, turkey
Posted in Food and Drink, General Information, Home and Garden, Recipes