Lipstick On A Chicken

You know those precooked chicken sausages that hang out in the freezer section? The organic ones with 1990s-era flavor combinations like sundried tomato and porcini mushroom? Well, because our grocery options up here are limited, occasionally my wife goes a little crazy from the limitations of a couple of small stores and grabs at anything that we don’t normally buy. And so it was that these things were in the fridge.

Because they’re pre-cooked, and they have the cellulose casings, grilling them is a disaster; they end up as rubbery little logs with no moisture. Chopping them up into a pasta sauce is really the only thing they’re good for (beyond just heating and eating on bread with mustard and kimchi while standing over the sink; they do the job, but only just).

So I figured that with some tinkering they might make a decent wonton filling. I had seen some skins in the freezer and the idea of both frying and hiding the sausage seemed to be win/win. I chopped them fine, adding copious ginger, garlic, preserved yuzu, nam pla, cilantro, and a little kimchi juice. Wrapped ’em up. Fryed ’em.

It looks like a delicious little Magdalena Abakanowicz, doesn’t it? I made the quick dipping sauce with soy, vinegar, sriracha, and a drib of agave, and served them on spicy baby greens (radish, mustard, mizuna). We also had sautéed crimini mushrooms with wine and garlic, and a heaping salad. And rosé. On the screened porch. The sun actually came out for a minute.

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5 Comments

  1. Zoomie
    July 3, 2009

    Leave it to you to make the proverbial silk purse out of a sow's ear (or is that chicken lips?).

  2. Jen of A2eatwrite
    July 3, 2009

    Bet you did this post to honor Palin's resignation.

    The wontons look good, though.

  3. The Spiteful Chef
    July 3, 2009

    I love trite sausages. I'm not skirred to admit it, either. I've also become partial to the Morningstar Farms vegetarian Italian sausages, when cooked in a flavorful marinara. I swear, it's good.

  4. Brooke
    July 6, 2009

    Frying and hiding the sausage is always a win/win.

    I used to be addicted to the apple flavored chicken sausage. Nuked and eaten by itself. I'm a strange person.

  5. peter
    July 6, 2009

    Zoomie: Hen's teeth?

    Jen: You betcha!

    Kristie: I used to eat those back when I was a vegetarian. They were passable, but I haven't had any since.

    Brooke: Heh. Hide the sausage.

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