Locating Specialty Ingredients: Focus on Flavor for the Effect of Authenticity!

Our Dinner Club does quite a few ethnic-focused meals each season. How do we reconcile this with the fact that we don’t live in the hub of ethnicity here in Omaha, Nebraska? First –ingenuity. Second – a focus on the flavor of our meals as much as (or more than) authenticity. Dinner Club is about the fun of being together. It’s about trying new things and enjoying a delicious meal. Authenticity is great, but a deliciously good time is greater!

You’re getting my drift… the flavors of the world…., but how to make them at home when you possibly have limited access to the necessary ingredients?

As I mentioned first; ingenuity. Really look at what is around and available to you in your own local area. We may not be Chicago or New York, but we do have some terrific Asian and Latino markets in town. As in the case of our Brazilian Churrascaria Dinner Club, I’m in need of “linguica”. It’s a traditional Brazilian and Portuguese sausage that will be one of the meat entrée items for our meal. Turns out, when searching the internet for resources right here in town, we have a source for this worldly item.

I’d heard of the Stoysich House of Sausage (http://www.stoysich.com/) plenty before, since my husband’s German and Polish ancestry – and therefore upbringing – included the many types of sausage those cuisines hold dear. But I’d never considered that our “home town” sausage purveyor would have the Brazilian linguica I’m seeking. Well, they do!

Had they not, there are plenty of places online to order specialty ingredients if you’re willing to pay the high price of shipping! Better yet, do as one friend of mine did, and call a friend or relative who lives where your ingredients ARE readily available and have them send them to you. Saves you on some cost and some hassle, plus it’s a fun connection with folks you don’t get to see often; however, since I have no friends or relatives in Brazil…., well, you know.

The second note on seeking ingredients is this: If you can’t locate the actual, authentic, straight-from-the-country-of-choice item, don’t sweat it! The fact that you’re attempting to reenact the meal on your own is courageous and bold in itself! Do the best you can. Read up on what the flavor essence of the dish should be and don’t be scared to throw in a little extra something of your own to make it as close to the real deal as you can. Turns out I didn’t have to make my own sausage by hand, even though I do own attachments for my Kitchenaid to go there if I must! You can follow this link for just one recipe on how to make your own linguica sausage: (If you dare! Maybe sometime soon I will too - my husband would love this process and the opportunity to smoke the sausage on the patio out back this summer!)

Homemade Linguica

Whether you make every ingredient on your own from scratch, or you order some things you require and prepare it thereafter; make the end result delicious and it will be fun. Make it as authentic as you can and you’ll feel proud of your efforts and satisfied with the outcome! And remember, “you eat first with your eyes”. So read up a little about the country or cuisine of the night and set the mood with table décor or music that whisks you away! More later this week on my “linguica” recipes!