There’s something special about pairing turkey or chicken with apples and herbs. It seems to me the whole idea probably stems from ingredients used in stuffing a turkey for Christmas dinner. I’ve tried a few different recipe combinations for these sausage. This one seems to be the one we always enjoy the most.
Speaking of turkey, I’d like to tell you about a very old memory since I brought the subject up. As you know, if you have been following my blog, I was raised on a farm in southern Alberta, Canada. It was dry land farming so it was imperative my folks not only grew grain but also raised animals. Along with cattle, pigs and chickens, my mother raised a few turkeys. On one occasion, my sister and I were making our way across the farm yard on our tricycle. Loretta was the driver with me standing on the back when all of a sudden I was accosted by a huge turkey. With his large wings, he knocked me to the ground and started pecking me for some reason. My mother saw the commotion from the kitchen window and came running to my rescue. Needless to say, from that time on, I have always been leary of animals bearing beeks and feathers. Nevertheless, I do like the taste of turkey.
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- 1 tsp oil
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 tart apple, peeled & grated
- 454 grams turkey, ground
- 3/4 cup wholewheat saltine cracker crumbs (24 crackers) or fresh bread crumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp EACH nutmeg & allspice
- 1 tsp oil or margarine
- 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
- 1/4 tsp EACH cumin & ginger
- 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp liquid honey
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup couscous,
- 2 tsp oil or margarine, divided
- 2 tsp parsley flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, whole-grain
- 1/4 cup apricot preserve
Ingredients
Turkey - Apple Sausage
Herbed Couscous
Dijon - Apricot Mustard
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- Heat oil in skillet; add onion & saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add apples & saute until until apples are very tender, 3-5 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl & cool completely. Add turkey, cracker crumbs, egg & spices; mix well. Divide the sausage into 6 equal portions & roll into approximately 8-inch lengths. When ready to cook, they can either be baked in the oven at 450 F. or lay on a sheet of greased foil & cook on the barbecue.
- In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tsp oil; add next 4 ingredients. Cook & stir for about 3 minutes until onion is soft. Add honey; heat & stir for 30 seconds to coat onion. Add broth; bring to a boil. Add couscous & 1 tsp oil. Stir, cover & remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes without lifting lid. Fluff. Stir in remaining ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard & apricot preserves. Serve with turkey-apple sausages.
- I like to make extra sausage and freeze them for other meals. They come in so handy when your time is short.
- If you prefer a plain couscous instead of spicy, omit cumin & ginger replacing it with dried basil or a spice of your choice.
- This meal is nice to serve with a mixed green salad of your choosing.