How to Cook Sausage
Like a Pro
The Official Recipe Book
of...
Maestro
Italian
& Specialty
Sausages
6080 Malburg Way
Vernon, CA 90058
P: (323) 583-6690 F: (323) 583-6529
www.maestrosausage.com
Web:
www.maestrosausage.com
This Book is Dedicated
to our Company Founder,
Table of Contents
Domenico Pontrelli
“The Maestro”
How can we help you?
Safety Information
4
What Makes a Good Sausage?
6
General Cooking Tips
8
Our Signature Street Food
10
Recipes12
Domenico immigrated alone from Caneto, Italy (now Adelfia) to
the United States, leaving his family behind, to find a better life for
them. In America, Domenico spent many years working odd jobs
ranging from a fight promoter to an ice and fire worker on the
great American railroads.
In the early 1920s, Domenico eventually opened a retail Meat
Market in Los Angeles where he first began producing his family’s
signature sausage recipe. Having helped the small market survive
through the great depression because of their popularity amongst
the Italian-American community of Los Angeles, our company
continues to sell these sausages, in his namesake, to honor his
dream.
Our company today is the product of one man’s American
Dream, and we cannot be any more proud to be a part of the
tradition he left behind.
3
Safety Information
The average shelf life of Maestro Sausages are
approximately:
IMPORTANT!!!
Always cook ALL RAW PORK
PRODUCTS to an internal
temperature of
160 Deg F for 2 minutes
to ensure the proper
elimination of all harmful
bacteria.
Thoroughly wash hands,
utensils, and all other areas
that come into direct
contact with any raw meat!
4
5-7 days in the average
refrigerator (<40 Deg F),
3 months in the average
freezer (<0 Deg F)
As a General Rule:
Shelf life is reduced every time a
product’s temperature rises above
these thresholds,
even just a few degrees!
Never eat meat that looks rotten or
emits an unpleasant odor.
Always follow package instructions if using other brands of
sausage. Maestro Sausages are made with extremely fresh
pork and USDA approved sanitary ingredients. This results in
a longer shelf-life than the average butcher’s sausage. Any
sausage ground with fresh fruits or vegetables should be consumed as quickly as possible because the bacteria from the
produce can cause faster than normal decomposition.
Ask your local butcher before you buy!
5
What Makes a Good Sausage?
Shop for sausage like a pro with these quick tips...
Pork Shoulder – Both the meat and fat of Pork is equally delicious,
making it perfect for sausage production. Most specifically, the
Pork picnic (or shoulder), is regarded as king in the sausage world.
Under the USDA’s strict regulations in the US, pork, contrary to
popular belief, is the CLEANEST of all the meats. Also, with the
high costs of beef and chicken, pork sausages are generally the
most affordable.
At the very
least, make
sure that
your sausage
is made from
only one
species of
animal! Any
more and it’s almost guaranteed that your sausage is made from
parts of the animal that may make you uncomfortable.
Natural Casing – We use ONLY natural sausage casings which give
it the mildly crisp bite sought-after by sausage enthusiasts everywhere. Nobody wants a casing so thick it makes the sausage difficult to eat; however, a light snap is highly desired.
Natural Spices – Look for visible specks of green, red, black and/or
fennel to ensure that the sausage is spiced primarily with natural,
dry spices. Take extra caution with sausages made at local butcher
shops as they are generally not USDA inspected nor do they use
USDA approved ingredients. Also beware of sausages that take on
artificially red colors when raw, which can mean that the sausage
was heavily spiced with oils or other wet marinates (not a USDA
approved practice).
6
Particle Definition – Being able to see visible chunks of meat and
fat shows that the sausage maker is not trying to cover up poor
meat quality or high fat content by grinding it into oblivion. This
course cut style sausage is the traditional texture for all “oldworld” European and Latin American style sausages. This style
is considerably different than the American, emulsified style of
sausage that is more typical of Hot Dogs, which hides the fat and
water used in its production.
Soft-Texture – A good sausage should have a perfectly consistent
texture and should be free of large chunks to guarantee that every
bite is consistently soft and succulent.
Fat Content – Yes, fat is good, it adds flavor, but only to a limited
extent! Maestro sausages are leaner than most with ~5% less fat
by volume (75/25%) than standard hamburger meat (70/30%).
Most sausages contain ~5% MORE fat by volume than standard
hamburger meat (65/35%). This means that Maestro Sausages
are leaner, less oily, healthier sausages that won’t shrink when
cooked.
No Nerves and Bones – A good sausage should have no nerves
or bones at all in its content. This is generally a problem in small
sausage production as the proper equipment needed to remove
nerves and bones is rarely available.
7
General Cooking Tips
Cook sausage like a pro with these quick tips...
Grilling and Frying Sausage: 101
1. Start with a high-quality, lean sausage like ours. The higher the
fat content, the more the sausage will shrink.
2. DO NOT PUNCTURE the casing. You want all of those fatty
juices inside the casing to essentially boil your sausage to
perfection and to make the meat succulent and moist when
bitten into. Also, puncturing the casing allows more fat to drip,
causing more flare-ups.
3. Cook over low to moderate
heat. High heat may cause the
casings to crack before consumed. This is also essential
in maintaining the juiciness of
the sausage.
4. Do not rotate your sausages
too often. Repeated movement increases your risk of snapping the casing. Also, letting it
sit for a while on each side will cause the sausage to caramelize; bringing out more flavor and giving the skin a perfectly
crisp texture. However, make sure not to overcook your sausage, letting large parts of it become charred and black. This
will cause it to be very dry and shrink even more.
5. Try to cook your sausage on all four sides (not just two). For
the more experienced grillers out there, putting the curved
side of the sausage down first will cause the meat on that side
to shrink and the sausage to straighten out. This will allow you
to cook it on both the top and bottom, in addition to the two
sides.
At medium heat, the sausages will take about an average
of 15-20 minutes to cook. To double check to see if they are
done, split open one of the sausages that you think looks
“less done” than the others. If it is white throughout (no
pink in the center), they’re ready to be served!
8
Baking Sausage: 101
1. Start with a high-quality, leaner, sausage like ours. The higher
the fat content, the more the sausage will shrink.
2. DO NOT PUNCTURE the casing. You want all of those fatty
juices inside the casing to essentially boil your sausage to perfection and to make the meat succulent and moist when bitten
into.
3. Bake on a cookie pan at approximately 375 deg F for 20 minutes, or until 160 deg F at the center of the sausage and/or
until white all the way through.
4. For an extra juicy sausage, place a few tablespoons of water
in the pan with the sausage to create a water bath for them
while they cook.
Sausage Pastas: 101
1. For best results, remove the sausage from it’s casing.
2. Fry in a pan until brown, or until 160 deg F for two minutes,
before adding to your favorite pasta dish. Even a simple sauce
of garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, garbanzo beans (optional)
and sausage makes a simple and delicious pasta dish.
3. Use fully cooked whole or ground sausage in your favorite
red-sauce recipe instead of, or in addition to, meatballs and/
or lamb shoulder to really make your sauce rich, flavorful and
delicious.
Sausage Pizzas: 101
1. Remove the sausage from its
casing and add sprinkle directly
on top of your pizza raw before baking. This will bake the
flavors of the sausage right into
your pizza!
2. If you have any pre-cooked links of sausage, slice them about
an 1/8” thick and top your pizza with the slices. Slice them
length-wise to get larger pieces that will cover more surface
area, curl up and, get crispy when cooked.
9
Our Signature Street Food
The Papa Vito
Our over 80+ years in Los Angeles has spawned our own favorite,
Los Angelino-style street food recipe. The “Papa Vito,” with its
Italian, Mexican and Californian influences, is all of LA’s best street
food in one awesome creation. Demanded by friends and family
members at all of our tailgates, BBQs, and parties, we hope that
this will become your new favorite street-food style meal as well.
Fire up your grill and enjoy!
Ingredients:
Instructions:
• Fire-up your grill to medium heat!
• Coat the bell peppers and onions
with olive oil and add salt and pepper
(or your fajita seasoning) to taste.
• Place the peppers and onions in a foil
bag, sealing off the edges to create
an enclosed pouch.
• Place the sausages, jalapenos, and
the foil bag of peppers and onions on
the grill. Flip the peppers and onions
periodically to prevent burning. See
“Grilling and Frying Sausage 101” on
page 8 for additional information on
grilling the sausages.
• Once the sausage is done and the vegetables have become
soft and slightly caramelized, remove everything from the grill,
but leave the grill on.
• Place the six tortillas on the grill. After you flip the tortillas
(~30 seconds), place a slice of cheese and one of the sausages
on each tortilla. Cook for an additional 20-30 seconds, or until
the cheese is melted.
• Remove from the grill, top with peppers, onions, and
jalapenos to taste, and enjoy! (With a beer of course...)
• 1 1/2 lbs Hot Maestro Italian Sausage (6 links)
• 2 large sliced red bell
peppers
• 1 large sliced onion
• 2 Jalapenos
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and Pepper or your favorite Fajita-style seasoning
• 6 slices of American or Pepper-jack cheese
• 6 corn tortillas
10
11
Quick & Easy Sausage and Beans
Recipes
Frank Sinatra’s Sausage and Peppers
Do a quick google search and you’ll find that it’s
no secret that Frank Sinatra LOVED his sausage
and peppers. Back in the 70’s, the owner of Matteo’s restaurant in West LA would occasionally
order a few extra boxes of our Italian sausages
for special delivery to Mr. Blue Eyes himself. We
hope you’ll enjoy our sausages as much as he
did!
Ingredients:
• 1 lb. Hot Italian Maestro sausage
(4 links)
• 2-3 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 3 green peppers (or other colors, if
you prefer), cut into thick slices with
the seeds removed
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 onion (optional), sliced
• Salt and pepper (optional/to taste)
Instructions:
• Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
• In an ovenproof baking dish that can also be used on top of
the stove (cast iron preferred), saute green peppers and onions in the olive oil until they begin to soften.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove green peppers and set aside.
• Brown the sausage on all sides in the same dish.
• When sausage is browned, add the red wine.
• Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Add the peppers and onions back into the dish.
• Bake an additional 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
12
Ingredients:
• 1 lb. Hot Bulk (raw ground)
Maestro Italian sausage
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper,
chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 (19-ounce) can cannellini
beans or other white beans,
drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced
Italian-style tomatoes, undrained
Bow-Tie Florentine
Ingredients:
• 1 lb. hot bulk (raw ground)
Maestro Sausage
• 12 oz. bow-tie pasta
• 10 oz. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 16 oz. jar Alfredo sauce
• ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions:
• Heat the olive oil in a large
over medium-high heat.
• Add bell pepper, onion, and
garlic; sauté 3 minutes.
• Add sausage, and cook 8
minutes, or until browned,
stirring to crumble.
• Stir in oregano and remaining
ingredients; reduce heat to
medium-low. Cook 5 minutes
or until thoroughly heated.
Instructions:
• Brown the sausage in a
skillet.
• Bring a large pot of salted
water to a boil and cook the
pasta.
• Drain and place pasta in pot
with spinach. Keep over low
heat.
• Heat oil in a pan, add garlic
and stir. After 3 minutes add
alfredo sauce and black pepper and bring to a simmer.
• Add sausage and pasta to
the simmering sauce and stir
until ready.
13
Recipes (cont.)
Sausage and Chicken Piquant
Arugula Green Salad with Sausage
• 2 lbs. Maestro Andouille,
Chorizo, or Linguica
• 6 lb. hen, cut up
• 1/2 lb. butter
• 1 can golden mushroom
soup
• Combine hen, sausage, An• 3 oz. tomato paste
douille and butter. Cook until
• 2 c. onions
brown. Add chopped onions,
• 1 c. bell peppers
celery and bell pepper. Cook for
• 1 c. celery
30 minutes, stirring frequently.
• 1 c. shallots
• Add mushroom soup, tomato
• 1 c. parsley
paste and finely chopped shal• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic
lots and parsley. Add water,
• 6 c. water
cover and cook for 2 hours, stir• Salt and pepper to taste
ring occasionally.
• Serve over rice (optional)
Ingredients:
Instructions:
• Grill or Sauté sausages in
• 1 lb. raw Hot Italian Maestro Sausage links (4 links)
heavy large skillet over medium heat until well browned
• 4 cups arugula leaves
and cooked through, about
(about 6 large bunches)
• 4 cups mixed greens
15 minutes.
• 1 medium fennel bulb, tops, • Meanwhile, combine arugula, mixed greens, fennel and
trimmed, with the bulb cut
chives in large bowl. Whisk
into matchstick-size strips
• 3 tablespoons chopped
olive oil and vinegar in small
fresh chives
bowl to blend well. Season
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
generously with salt and pepper. Toss salad with dressing.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic
• Top salad with Parmesan
vinegar
shavings and sausages and
• Parmesan cheese shavings
serve.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Andouille and Tomato Pasta
Ingredients:
Instructions:
• 3/4 lb Maestro Andouille, •
sliced
•
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, diced
•
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grape tomato
•
• Salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pesto sauce •
• ½ lb spaghetti, cooked and
drained
14
Cook onion and garlic in olive oil
over medium heat until soft
Add flour and cook for about
three mins, stirring constantly.
Add milk, chicken broth, sausage, grape tomatoes, balsamic
vinegar, pesto and salt and pepper. Stir constantly until sauce
thickens.
Once sauce thickens, add
cheese and stir until melted and
heated through.
Toss with spaghetti and serve
with additional parmesan
cheese.
15
Guinness Braised Bangers
Recipes (cont.)
Chorizo and Linguica Paella
Ingredients:
• 1 lb. Pre-cooked Maestro
Chorizo &/or Linguica
links sliced into 1-2”
pieces
• 1 chicken, cut into pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin
olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups rice
• 1/2 lb. (21-25 sized) raw
peeled shrimp
• 1/2 lb. clam scrubbed
and debearded
• 1/2 lb. mussels scrubbed
and debearded
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup chicken
stock or broth
• 1/3 cup white
wine
• 1 pinch Saffron,
in ½ cup warm
water.
• 1/2 cup frozen
peas
• 1/2 cup
chopped frozen
string beans
(optional)
Instructions:
• Rinse chicken pieces, pat
them dry with a paper towel,
and season with salt and
pepper. Sauté in the olive oil
until golden.
• Remove chicken and sauté
garlic, onion, chorizo, and
rice for a few minutes.
• Add chicken back to skillet on
top of rice. Tuck in seafood
and sausage. Add chicken
stock or broth, wine, saffron
and bell pepper. Cover and
simmer 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle peas and beans on
top, and cover and continue
to cook an additional 10 minutes and serve.
16
Ingredients:
• 2 lbs of Maestro Bangers
(8 links)
• 1 teaspoon canola oil or
grape seed oil
• 24 ounces of Guinness
• 1 diced medium sized onion
Instructions:
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a covered sauté pan,
and sear sausage on all sides.
• Add beer and onion to pan, turn heat down to low and braise
until sausage is cooked through, about 50 minutes. Or, place
in oven at approximately 300 degrees and cook for 30 mins, or
until the Bangers have cooked through.
Bratwurst with Potatoes and Rye
Ingredients:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Instructions:
1 teaspoon sea salt
•
8 bratwurst
8 to 10 red potatoes
•
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chives, minced
Salt and pepper
4 slices rye toast
•
1 tablespoon herb butter
8 ounces sauerkraut
4 ounces German mustard
Bring a pot of water to a boil
and add the salt to the water.
Add potatoes and cook for 10
minutes, or until tender. Remove from water but keep the
water hot.
Preheat a grill and Poach the
bratwurst in the salted water
until cooked through, about 10
minutes. Drain and grill until
golden brown and cooked thoroughly (~10 mins)
• Cut the potatoes in halves. In a sauté pan, add butter and
melt. Add the potatoes and chives and cook until the potatoes
are well coated. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the crust off rye slices and brush on herb butter. Grill until
toasted,and place on a plate with the sauerkraut, potatoes and
bratwurst. Serve with mustard.
17
Chorizo, Bean, and Cheese Nachos
Recipes (cont.)
Shepards’ Pasta - Simple Version
Ingredients:
Instructions:
• Place the sausage in a frying
• 1 pound Maestro Italian
pan, add 1/4 cup water, cover
bulk (raw ground) sausage
and cook over medium-high
• 1 pound ziti
heat 6 minutes. Remove the
• 1 pound goat-milk or cowlid and cook for an additional
milk ricotta
15 minutes, until the water
• 1 tablespoon red pepper
evaporates and the sausage is
flakes
browned.
• Salt and pepper
•
Cook the pasta in boiling
• 1 cup pecorino Romano,
water. Meanwhile, add the
freshly grated
ricotta to the sausages and
mix in the pepper flakes and
salt and pepper, to taste.
• Drain the cooked pasta, and
stir it in to the sausage/ricotta
mixture. Top with grated
pecorino and serve.
Chorizo Rotelle
Ingredients:
• 1/2 lb. pre-cooked Maestro
Chorizo, ground or sliced
• 1/2 c. butter
• 2 c. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (6 oz..) can pitted ripe
olives, sliced
• 1 (8 oz..) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 oz..) can evaporated
skim milk or use 1 c. cream
• Salt & pepper
• 1 lb.. rotelle, cooked &
drained
Instructions:
• Heat butter in a large saucepan.
• Sauté mushrooms, olives and
chorizo for 5 minutes.
• Stir in tomato sauce and skim
milk. Reduce heat and simmer
10 minutes.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Toss with rotelle and serve
with Parmesan cheese.
18
Ingredients:
• 1lb. Maestro Chorizo
crumbles
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups cooked/warm beans
of choice
• Large corn tortilla chips
• 1 1/2 cups grated pepper
jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp
cheddar cheese
• 1 small white onion, sliced
into thin rings
• 5 large jalapenos, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions:
• Preheat the oven to 450 deg F.
• In a large skillet, cook the chorizo, garlic, and cumin, stirring
over medium-high heat until the sausage is browned and the
fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain of fat.
• On a large, oval ovenproof platter, or in a large baking dish,
spread 1 layer of chips. Top with a layer of 1/2 of the beans,
then 1/2 of the sausage, cheeses, onion rings, and chopped
jalapenos.
• Repeat with another layer of chips, beans, sausage, cheese,
onions and jalapenos.
• Bake until the cheeses are melted and the mixture is hot, 5 to
8 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, limes, and sour cream. Serve
immediately.
19
Thank you for choosing
Maestro Brand Sausages!
6080 Malburg Way
Vernon, CA 90058
P: (323) 583-6690 F: (323) 583-6529
www.maestrosausage.com