6/20/07  Anna’s Cauliflower and Chicken Sausage Stir Fry
(serves two adults and two children)

Anna Dibble has been a great source of inventive recipes for me over the years, and this one is no exception. Although it’s a stir fry, there’s not much Asian about it. Instead, it’s more like the sort of meal one would find at a short-order nouvelle cuisine diner, if there were such a thing.

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 lb cooked chicken sausages (see tip below)
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-inch piece of ginger, minced
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• small bunch of cilantro
• small bunch of mint
• 3 Tbs peanut oil

• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 1 tsp green or red curry paste (see tip below)
• juice of a lemon
• juice of an orange
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 4 Tbs chicken broth

2. Separate the cauliflower into individual flowerets, slicing the larger ones in half. Slice the sausage into half-inch rounds. Toss all with one tablespoon of the peanut oil and roast in one layer on a foil-lined baking sheet until the florets are cooked through and the sausage slices are slightly browned, about 30 minutes. (Toss everything again about halfway through the cooking time, flipping the sausages as you go.)

3. Meanwhile, prep the onion, garlic, and ginger, all of which can be placed in the same bowl. Slice the tomatoes in half. Coarsely chop the cilantro and the mint.

4. Combine the ingredients for the sauce.

5. When the cauliflower and sausage slices are done, heat a wok (or large skillet) over a high flame. Add the remaining two tablespoons of oil, and when the oil begins to smoke, add the onions, garlic, and ginger. After a minute or so, add the tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 4 more minutes. Add the cauliflower and sausage slices and continue to stir-fry for another 2 minutes.

6. Give the sauce a quick stir and add it to the wok. When the sauce comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and cover the wok for 4 minutes while the sauce thickens. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the chopped herbs. Serve over basmati or brown rice.

Back to the Top

Tips

* Although there is such a thing as raw chicken sausage, you definitely want the precooked kind for this dish. We buy precooked smoked chicken and apple sausages from Usinger’s in Milwaukee (www.usinger.com). The one-pound vacuum-sealed packagers store well in our basement freezer and defrost in no time.

* For curry paste, I’ve had great success with the Thai Kitchen brand of red curry paste sold in the ethnic food section of most large supermarkets.

* The cauliflower and sausage can be roasted up to a day ahead of time, making the preparation of this dish even simpler. If you do prepare these ingredients ahead of time, however, allow a little extra cooking time for them to reheat.

* Anna suggests adding some crushed peanuts at the end if you like a little crunch.

If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future.