Sausage: A Dilemma

It rained yesterday from around 2pm until we went to sleep. It wasn't just a drizzle, but a hard, steady, soaking rain. Jesse and I had every intention of going for a jog, but it's hard to motivate yourself when the feeling would resemble a cold shower head following you around the neighborhood. We both felt a little stir crazy by the end of the afternoon, but managed to channel the nervous energy into three rounds of Quiddler, followed by making another batch of bagels (whole wheat this time), and a round of Phase 10. I've mentioned before how much I love games and cooking projects, so it was a great evening

The sun is out this morning, so I'm mentally prepping for a run as I write. I've had my banana, a small whole wheat bagel, and a giant glass of water. There's not much more I can do than just step out the door. The run is an effort on my part to detox from the last few days of drinking (ahem Belgian beer fest) and eating happy hour food. I'm working on a delicious pot of red beans and rice to kick off a week of simple and nutritious eating. Ok, so the red beans have a little sausage in them, but not a lot and it seems to be pretty lean.

I've been on the hunt for a suitable sausage to use in my Cajun recipes, since real andouille is hard to find. Also, I am very picky about sausage in terms of fat, texture, and overall flavor. I think there is nothing grosser than a mushy, fatty, sausage link, which seem to abound in grocery stores and some meat counters. Ideally, I'd like the sausage to be local, but I just haven't found the right one yet. After tasting Corralitos sausage in California, it's been hard to find anything that compares. We picked up a package of Zenners Louisiana Red Hots from the supermarket the other day and I was totally grossed out when examining them after they were cooked. I put them in the chili anyway, thinking that I wouldn't notice once the sausage was all mixed in, but ended up shoveling hunks of Zenners into Jesse's bowl at dinner time. The texture was too soft and I could see chunks of visible fat hanging out even after cooking. Blech. I don't care if it's the official sausage of PGE Park, it's really not that great.

Disappointed, and convinced that I might just be a glutton for punishment, I picked up a package of pork andouille sausages at Whole Foods by Wellshire Farms. The company doesn't use antibiotics, preservatives, or nitrates, so it seems to me like a good product. I sauteed them for the red beans today and after tasting am quite pleased. It's firm when cooked, no visible globs of fat, and the spices are a little smoky and tasty. The only problem is that it's made in Delaware and has to be trucked all the way out to Oregon for me to eat it. So, it doesn't fit all of the criteria, but it is a start. I'm hoping to continue my search and find a Portland version of Corralitos so we don't have to bring home pounds of sausage when visit family and friends in Santa Cruz. I'm sure there's one out there, I just have to keep tasting!