Elgin: The Sausage Capital of Texas

Elgin, Texas brags about being the Sausage Capital of Texas. A bit of hyperbole there, Texas has several other towns that can rival Elgin for that claim.

The sausage makers trumpeting that boast come from Southside Market. This is a fabled establishment in existence since 1882. Southside Market is the most notable landmark in the small town of Elgin, which is off the beaten path if you are in or near Austin.

I picked up a package of Southside Market's smoked beef and pork smoked sausage on my last trip to an HEB grocery in San Antonio. It's time to get it out of the freezer. But I'm not doing any traditional dish with this, as I'm in the mood for a curry meat and veggie entrée.

I have manioc (yuca) that I want to chop and fry up. Manioc is denser than potato, although similar in taste, so this involves some cooking time. The manioc goes in the skillet first, once the vegetable oil is hot.

While the manioc fries, let's get the other ingredients prepped. I picked out two stalks of bok choy, portions of tomato, onion, cabbage, one carrot and one link of Southside Market's Polish sausage.

Chop, chop, chop and slice!

veggies in the bowl, manioc and sausage on the board

I'm keeping a bag of sunflower seed handy, so I can sprinkle in a handful toward the end of the cooking process. It's time to toss the sausage in the skillet, and while that is heating up, let's make some curry sauce.

There's not much point in suggesting specific quantities of ingredients as that depends on how much food you're making. I have a fairly large skillet, enough to cook up three or four servings. I start with about three tablespoons full of starch and blanket the pile of starch in my mixing bowl with curry sauce.

My sauce is always going to be spicy, so in goes a couple spoonfulls of fresh hot homemade salsa (no vinegar). The last ingredient is water. I start with a third cup and mix, then pour this into the skillet and stir. I find it's not enough.

Just keep pouring water in and stir until the sauce is about a half-inch to two-thirds of an inch deep in the skillet.

From the time the veggies go in, you want to watch the clock a little closer, or they will overcook. Stir and cook for about five minutes, certainly less than ten.

Last touch is the sunflower seed. Sprinkle the seed in and give the whole ensemble one last stir with your big spoon.

As far as the particular ingredients, there's nothing sacred here except the manioc and sausage - these two are going to fill you up. But if you don't like onions, leave them out. If the sunflower seed seems a bit over the top for you (personally I like to have something to crunch), leave that out.

Notice I never mentioned salt. The curry powder has salt, as does the sausage and the sunflower seed. You don't need more salt in your diet, but this dish is slightly (only slightly) bland. Curry is savory. I could have added a bit more curry or a bit more salt, but I'm not complaining with the result.

You can eat this without any side, it's pretty good as is. But it will go well with a small portion of white rice.

Buen provecho!