Smoking beans and veal

Veal and pork sausage has been a challenge for me. I've come up with a few recipes (see my previous Opa's entries) that were palatable enough. 

But comparing veal brats to other sausages, these don't come close to my Top 10. "It's not you, veal brat. It's me. I prefer the taste of grain and grass-fed meats over milk-fed any day."

I do, however, offer a couple more suggestions on recipes. One is to check out Opa's website for a dish involving simmering the bratwurst in beer. 

Or you can go with this: a spicy stew using pinto beans and chipotle. It's all about the bean soup. Boil a cup of beans in salt, cilantro seasoning, chopped garlic and one chopped chipotle pepper (this is also known as morita seca or roasted, smoked jalapeno). You end up with a smoky-flavored, tasty bean soup.

Don't ask me to explain the chemistry, but for whatever reason, veal/pork sausage goes really well with this dish. Open a George Killian red (or your choice of beer) and enjoy. 

I find that veal/pork sausage chopped into this (I did grill the brats first) provides a great balance. There is something sufficiently earthy about the smoky beans and spices that overcome that milky taste in the veal.

I guess it's kind of like what happens to milk in chocolate. Does that make sense?

Buen provecho!

I guess it's kind of like what happens to milk in chocolate. Does that make sense?

Buen provecho!