Barese sausage is quite different from your typical Italian sausage which is normally made with fennel. Barese sausages are finger thin, sort of like the shape and size of a breakfast sausage. These sausages are similar to an area in southern Italy around Bari on the Adriatic coast.
Lucky for me I only have to drive about 35 minutes to get to a wonderful Italian market that makes them fresh on a daily basis!
The ingredients in Barese sausage vary but usually they consist of the meat being either pork or lamb or a mixture of both. Herbs, such as parsley or basil, some garlic, parmesan or romano cheese and some type of tomato product either paste, plum or sun-dried.
I have a friend who was born in Bari and years ago he taught me his simple method for cooking them up on top of the stove.
Place the sausage in a skillet with white wine, enough to almost cover them. With your burner on medium high keep turning them often until they reach an ugly gray color and the wine cooks out. I like to poke some holes on each sausage with a tooth pick so the wine really gets in and flavors them even more.
After the wine pretty much dissipates, remove the sausage, drizzle in some olive oil and place them back into the pan and brown them up to a nice deep golden color, that’s it! A very simple method, but oh so flavorful!
After the wine pretty much dissipates, remove the sausage, drizzle in some olive oil and place them back into the pan and brown them up to a nice deep golden color, that’s it! A very simple method, but oh so flavorful!If you can locate some Barese sausage in your area, I highly recommend you give it a try!
They’re perfect as part of an antipasto platter because of their size, in fact I served them on Super Bowl Sunday along with my Balsamic Glazed Peppers with Eggplant, Olives, Marinated Asparagus, Salami, aged Asiago and Provolone cheese, and this addicting Cauliflower Pesto,( Thanks Stacey!) and of course let’s not forget the stack of crispy Crostini!
Another addicting little treat are these Balsamic Glazed Peppers with Eggplant! Equally as good slathered on a crispy crostini or placed into your favorite sandwich. Wait until you find out how easy they are to make, providing you have a bottle of good quality balsamic glaze sitting in your fridge. Two brands I personally like are Colavita and Blaze if you don’t have any please seek some out, it’s so nice to have a go to bottle to quickly flavor things up, it’s also great drizzled over cheese. Of course you can always make your own in a pan by reducing balsamic vinegar down until it becomes a thick rich syrup consistency.
They’re perfect as part of an antipasto platter because of their size, in fact I served them on Super Bowl Sunday along with my Balsamic Glazed Peppers with Eggplant, Olives, Marinated Asparagus, Salami, aged Asiago and Provolone cheese, and this addicting Cauliflower Pesto,( Thanks Stacey!) and of course let’s not forget the stack of crispy Crostini!For Stacey’s addicting Cauliflower Pesto here’s the recipe. My family loves roasted cauliflower with romano cheese so I eliminated the raisins and capers and added 1/2 cup of grated romano to mine. Slather this on a crostini and you will be forever hooked!
Another addicting little treat are these Balsamic Glazed Peppers with Eggplant! Equally as good slathered on a crispy crostini or placed into your favorite sandwich. Wait until you find out how easy they are to make, providing you have a bottle of good quality balsamic glaze sitting in your fridge. Two brands I personally like are Colavita and Blaze if you don’t have any please seek some out, it’s so nice to have a go to bottle to quickly flavor things up, it’s also great drizzled over cheese. Of course you can always make your own in a pan by reducing balsamic vinegar down until it becomes a thick rich syrup consistency.Here’s what you do;
Slice thin strips of yellow, green and red peppers, also peel and slice your eggplant into strips. Toss them all with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them in a hot 425F oven turning them often until they become tender with a nice deep color. Half way through the roasting process start pouring on the glaze and keep checking and tossing. Start out small but add as much glaze as you like according to your own taste. When they cool down place in a bowl and add chopped parsley and 1 crushed garlic clove, be sure to drizzle in more olive oil! Toss and enjoy!
Buon Appetito Everyone!
I’m Marie, a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and gramma of two beautiful girls. My passion is food, clear and simple but especially Italian food, hence the name of my blog, Proud Italian Cook. I want you to feel right at home here so grab a cup of coffee, I’ll get the pastries, take a look around and enjoy your visit! {
Most Italian stores will have it there
Does Barese Sausage smell bad when you open the packaging?
It shouldn’t, that doesn’t sound good Jenn!
Barese sausage is called chivertalatta I assume in the dialect.
I’m pretty sure it is just lamb, cheese and parsley.
it is great in wheel on the barbeque then served with onions and peppers roasted or sautéed in garlic and olive oil
I will look for Barese sausages. I can’t wait to try your method for cooking sausage with wine – great idea! All of your munchies look fantastic! I want a bite of everything!
Oh my! This dish certainly looks so good!
What a great method of cooking really good quality sausages – the meat is completely cooked while it poaches in and soaks up the wine.
This is ideal for the “downunder” style of barbequing as the first stage can be completed in advance and then the browning done on the barbie. What a way to impress guests with superbly super-flavoured sausages!
I love visiting your blog, gorgeous recipes and wonderful photos.
Mmmm . . . All your recipes look so good. I am in search of an Italian cookie recipe. The problem is, I don’t know the name of the cookie. I know it’s typically made at Christmas. It reminds me of a thumbprint cookie and in the “thumbprint”, some kind of fruit or other filling. I tried this cookie for the first time just recently and fell in love with them. The kinds I tried, one was filled with almond filling, and one was filled with a raspberry filling. Can you decipher from my cryptic description here, what the name of the cookie is? And, where I might find a recipe for said cookie?
THANK YOU!
I’m not familiar with these either, but I love the way you cook them. Great ideas and photos as always. Yum.
Hi Marie – bet that spread was quite a hit on Superbowl Sunday. Sorry about your Bears.
I’ll keep an eye out for those sausages.
LL
My German roots naturally love sausages. This is a new type of sausage for me, but I can tell I’d love them. Your entire spread is colorful and the kind of eats I’d love– with an ice cold Moretti beer. (I love beer more than wine.)
I LOVE the way that you cooked them.
Oh mamma che meraviglia!!!! Just by looking at these dishes, my mouth waters!!!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, these look really delicious! Sounds like a great and flavorful way to cook them. I read your blog faithfully; i just never seem to comment! thanks for sharing so many great recipes (and love ones with such great photos)!
It’s rare that I meet a sausage I don’t like. I’ll have to do some research into Barese sausage. There are a two good Italian specialty stores in my town, and a few more in neighboring towns, including one that Mario Batali just opened, so I will keep my eyes peeled.
I’m thinking that caulflower pesto would be really good too!
The flavor jumps out even in the photo!
When are you going to invite me to dinner?? This is my favorite type of eating. Everything looks wonderful.
P.S. I don’t think I’ve ever had Barese sausage.
Just checked out their website, looks like a better selection then Bari
Yes Tim you can get it at Bari, but have you been to Caputo’s Cheese Market on 15th in Melrose PK.? It’s really worth the trip, not like the other Caputo’s, lot’s of goodies at great great prices!!
Hi Marie,
I am in Chicago too, do you get them at Bari Market? Where can I find them?
Regards,
Tim
Stopping for eggplants on the way home. The peppers and eggplants with balsamic looks delicious and can’t be any easier to make. thanks
I have never heard of Barese sausages, will have to look for them. Is it like Marie’s Melrose peppas?
xo
I wonder if those sausages can be found here (you never know). You will have me calling Italian markets all morning! Everything entices and will be doing the cauliflower and the pepper-eggplants for a Carnevale dinner coming soon.
I want to try everything, Marie. I imagine your way of cooking the sausages with wine would work well with other types as well. I often use beer so wine will be a nice change of flavor. Everything looks yummy.
These sausage are perfect for going inside a nice thin baguette, where the thicker sausage can be a bit unwieldy. Unfortunately, no can get up here in the North Country, so can only have them when back home. (Now that your driveway is clear, perhaps a sample for the truck driver? Who, btw, is freezing his butt off in this place!!!!)
MMMMmmmm…I can almost smell those sausages cooking, Marie! They look delcious! My Calabrian husband loves cold sopressata as an apetizer, but I love hot sausage. Your balsamic glazed peppers and cauliflower pesto look perfect!
I’ve never heard of these peppers, but I ‘m going on the hunt. All those accompaniments look fantastic, and I can’t wait to try that cauliflower pesto.