In Search Of The Perfect Sausage

I am a nostalgic person. I watch old movies and listen to 80’s music in my car. I’m also extremely nostalgic about food. There is just something about food (good and bad, mind you) that stirs the emotions. Rarely does a week go by that I do not reminisce about my trip to Cataluña last fall. The architecture, culture, music, food, and wine (of course!) all bring back very fond memories. My time at Catacurian, the cooking and wine school in El Masroig (a small village nestled in the hills of Montsant), has permanently scarred (in a very good way!) my psyche with thoughts of a life where simplicity and hard work are commonplace; it is also a place where the wine is local and the food rustic and simple, yet incredibly delicioso.

Botifarra amb Seques

Catalan cooking is really in a world of its own. It is amazing how just a few ingredients can transform an otherwise simplistic dish into a masterpiece. These, and many other, lessons were learned during that now infamous trip. This leads me to my most recent obsession – finding the perfect substitute for my favorite Spanish sausage – butifarra (truly the “King” of Catalan sausages).

A couple of weeks ago I was wandering the internet and happened upon a site which claimed to sell a traditional Spanish butifarra (but is made in the US). I was intrigued to say the least. Reading through the site, Simply Sausage, I quickly found that in 2007 José Andres (one of my favorite chefs) sent the sausage-maker to work with a family in Cataluña to learn how to make a traditional butifarra. I ordered a few packages (along with some other very interesting sausages) and waited impatiently for my package to arrive. I received the package and quickly set out to decide on my first recipe (and I was not disappointed!). Thinking back to my trip to Cataluña I remembered my participation in the grape harvest and the favorite part of the meal afterwards – grilled butifarra with white beans (botifarra amb seques in Catalan). This is a very simple, yet incredibly tasty, meal. Here is the preparation:

In a small Dutch oven (or cazuela) fry up some pancetta, add half an onion (diced), 3 cans of cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), a splash of white wine, and salt to taste. Throw the sausage on the grill and cook for about 10-12 minutes. The beans should be done just about the same time. Top them with a little chopped parsley. Serve up and enjoy!

As this is a Catalan dish I decided to accompany this meal with a uniquely Catalan wine. How apropos but to pair with a wine produced in El Masroig. Although available in the US this wine is a bit tough to come by – but worth seeking out. The 2005 Mas de l’Abudància “Fluminis” is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnatxa Fina (Garnacha Negra), and Samsó (Cariñena). Low-production vines produce grapes with concentrated varietal character. The wine has incredible aromas of black fruits, spice, and black pepper. On the palate similar flavors abound with black currants and dark chocolate and coat the mouth with a complex and long finish. This was truly a superb wine to pair with a superb dish. (Oh, and if you cannot tell how much I enjoyed the butifarra by reading the above, know that I cooked more the next day! It is absolutely the best – and freshest – butifarra I have tasted outside Spain.)

Life is short. Drink Spanish wine!

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