Turkey Fennel Sausage, Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Nachos with Cherry Chutney

Posted by Aug 1, 2013

As many of you know, I’m a proud member of the Halifax Food Bloggers.  We’re a vibrant group of the food-obsessed, and every so often we like to engage in a little bit of friendly competition in the name of showcasing local food and producers.

Sausage Nachos with Cherry Chutney | www.purplehousecafe.com

Last time, it was all about sourcing ingredients from Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market, and these double rhubarb cream-filled doughnuts were my contribution.  Incidentally, delicious though they sound, I totally didn’t win – likely because of many people’s completely legitimate fear of extremely hot oil.  Nevertheless, these little pastries were probably one of the best things I’ve ever made.  Hence:  I suggest you brave the prospect of hot oil and give it a go.

Sausage Nachos with Cherry Chutney | www.purplehousecafe.com

This time, it’s a sausage contest.  In honour of Sausage Fest 2013, hosted by Local Connections Halifax magazine, the Halifax Food Bloggers are donning their chef’s hats and coming up with original recipes involving sausage.

Unlike my doughnut recipe, my Sausage Fest contest contribution is a simple one:  throw some chips on a cookie sheet, toss on some sausage, caramelized onion and cheese, whip up a bit of cherry chutney, and call ’em nachos. 

Sausage Nachos with Cherry Chutney | www.purplehousecafe.com

Easy, right?  

I used turkey fennel sausage from Sweet William’s Country Sausage, housed at the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market,  local goat cheddar and fresh cherries.  We ate them on a blanket spread out in the back yard, paired with mojitos muddled with mint from our garden.  

Turkey Fennel Sausages with Caramelized Onion, Cheddar and Cherry Chutney
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Ingredients
  1. For the nachos -
  2. 3 turkey fennel sausages
  3. 2 medium onions, diced
  4. 1 tbsp. brown sugar
  5. Cheddar cheese - amount to your preference
  6. Nacho chips - amount depending on how many people you're feeding
  7. Olive oil for sauteeing the onions
  8. For the chutney -
  9. 1 cup fresh cherries, de-stemmed and pitted
  10. Handful of fennel seeds (maybe 1/4 tsp.)
  11. 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  12. 1/4 cup water
  13. Black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Combine all of the chutney ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the cherries have broken down and the liquid has cooked off.
  2. Remove the sausage meat from the casing and saute in a small frying pan until fully cooked.
  3. In another frying pan, saute the onions in olive oil until they are translucent. Add the brown sugar and continue to saute until the onions are soft and deep brown in colour.
  4. Preheat your oven to 400F. Place nacho chips on a baking sheet and top with sausage, caramelized onion and then the cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Serve with cherry chutney for dipping.
  5. Enjoy!
Purple House Café https://www.purplehousecafe.com/

 

Pulled Pork Nachos with Goat Cheddar and Apple Salsa

Posted by Mar 28, 2013
Pulled Pork Nachos with Goat Cheddar and Apple Salsa

So, I had this idea for “gourmet nachos.”  (Is anybody doing that yet, or are we still on burgers?).  After much deliberation, I decided upon this recipe for pulled pork nachos with goat cheddar and apple salsa.  It’s a twist on some classic favourites and turned out AMAZINGLY.

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You really have to try these.  Seeing as I’m sure you’re already making my Crockpot pulled pork recipe on the weekends and eating it for lunches and snacks and dinners and brunches throughout the week, these nachos aren’t too much of a stretch.  We actually ate them for breakfast (once again, a day in the life of a food blogger trying to make the most of natural daylight in her photography) – they’d be a totally unique brunch item or something great to serve at a party.  The apple salsa makes a great contrast to the salty, savoury flavour of the pork and the chips.  It was the perfect combination, in my mind.

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Here’s what you do:

So, you have the recipe for the pulled pork.  Now, lay some tortilla chips down on a baking sheet and drop as much pulled pork as you want on top of them.  You could top with some thinly sliced red onions or something too – we just opted for a layer of goat cheddar.  Pop ’em in the oven at 350F until the cheese is brown and melty.

For the apple salsa:

Skin and cube 2-3 apples (depending on how many people you’re serving).  Toss with the juice of half a lemon, about 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and a dash of chili powder.  I actually warmed my salsa in the microwave for about a minute so that the apples would get a little soft and more sauce-y, but you could do a crisp, cold version as well – up to you.  Try both ways and let me know what your favourite is!

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Recipe is a Jessie original!