Mike Tucker of Ankeny, Iowa, is the owner of Hawgeyes BBQ (hawgeyesbbq.com) and creator of the world’s largest pork burger at the 2007 BarbeQlossal in Des Moines. With some help from the Iowa State University Meat Lab and Ray Basso’s BBQ Forum, Mike developed this recipe for a tasty summer sausage. The Hi Mountain Summer Sausage kit ($16.99) is available on-line from Hawgeyes. Encapsulated citric acid and other sausage-making supplies are available at alliedkenco.com. This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

20 pounds lean ground beef or venison

10 pounds coarsely ground pork (not lean)

1 Hi Mountain Summer Sausage kit (all packets)

3 ounces encapsulated citric acid

1 1/2 cups Frank’s® Original Red Hot sauce

1 1/2 cups ice cold buttermilk

1 1/2 cups ice water

20 feet 1 1/2-inch collagen casings

Instructions

Soak the collagen casings in warm water for 1 hour.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Stuff the mixture into the casings and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.

Hang the sausages in a cooker or oven and cook for 1 hour at 120 degrees F. with no smoke; increase the temperature to 140 degrees F. adding your favorite wood and smoke-cook for another 1 hour. Increase the heat to 160 degrees F. and continue smoking another 30 minutes. Increase the heat to 180 degrees F. and continue smoking until the sausages have an internal temperature of 152 degrees F. The entire cooking process will take about 7 hours.

When the sausages hit 152 degrees, give them a quick hot shower to clean, and then put them into a tub of ice water to chill. Remove the sausages, dry them and refrigerate. Vacuum sealed sausages will keep fresh for 2 to 3 weeks.

Yield: 30 pounds of sausage

Heat scale: Medium

The blending of eggplant (often called garden eggs) and fish creates a unique taste treat from Ghana.  The extra taste addition comes from shrimp.  Because the eggplant is salted to remove excess moisture, go easy on any additional salt when cooking this dish.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds sole or flounder filets
• 2 teaspoons comercial poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 pound eggplant, peeled, and cut into 1 inch cubes
• * Salt
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups peeled, coarsly cubed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons chile caribe or red chile flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 pound shrimp (any size), shelled and deveined

Instructions

Wash the fish under cold, running water and then pat them dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle the fillets with the poultry seasoning and set the fillets aside.

Place the cubed eggplant in a sieve and sprinkle liberally with salt.  Allow the eggplant to sit in the sink for 30 minutes.  Then, under cold, running water, rinse off the salt, and place the cubes in several layers of paper towels or a linen kitchen towel and gently squeeze out any moisture.

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet and add the eggplant and saute for 1 minute; add the bell pepper and onion and saute for 1 minute longer.  Add the tomatoes and continue sauteeing until the onions are very wilted.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Stir in the dried chile and pepper.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 4 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat, allow it to cool slightly, then add the sauteed mixture to a food processor and puree.

Pour the pureed mixture into a large, heavy casserole; layer the fish fillets over the mixture and place the shrimp on top of the fillets.  Gently add the water, cover and bake for 25 to 35 minutes.

There are many parallels between fish soup and bouilabaisse, which is popular in southern France.  Tunisia has one of the richest fishing areas in North Africia.  Any kind of fish and shellfish can be used but avoid oily fish such as mackerel or sardines.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red chile, such as serrano or jalapeno, seeds and stem removed, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons Harissa
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 fennel bulb, diced
• 2 cups diced potatoes
• 6 cups fish stock
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 1/2 pounds mixed fish and shellfish, washed and cleaned
• 4 cups deseeded tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground while pepper

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole, add the onions, bell pepper, chile, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the Harissa, cumin powder, saffron, fennel, potatoes, lemon juice, and fish stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Add the fish, tomatoes, cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the fish is tender.