Mele e Cottechino (Apples and Pork Sausage)

Recipe from Jody Williams

Adapted by Charlotte Druckman

Mele e Cottechino (Apples and Pork Sausage)
Frances Janisch
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(19)
Comments
Read comments

Going out on New Year’s Eve has always been, according to my parents, for amateurs. Their long-standing alternative: stay home and eat well. The ritual starts with caviar and Champagne. Then Dad might prepare steak tartare and Mom, a chocolate soufflé. Good stuff.

Now, all grown up (and then some), I realize they’re on to something. A low-key, intimate gathering starring good food is my preferred way to ring in the new. But in these lean times — and in my significantly smaller kitchen — putting out a succulent spread and entertaining the troops chez moi calls for some creativity. —Charlotte Druckman

Featured in: New Year’s Ease | Cooking at Home with Gottino’s Jody Williams

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6 to 7.
  • 12-14 lady apples (or any small apples; otherwise you can split 6 or 7 medium apples in half)
  • Cottechino sausage or fatty, spicy Italian sausage, removed from its casing (enough to fill apples; less than ½ of a large link)
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly cracked pepper
  • 4tablespoons butter
  • 12-14 sage leaves (about one per apple)
  • ½ to ¾bottle of white wine.
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (7 servings)

344 calories; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 36 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 1005 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Scoop the core and seeds out of each apple, leaving a substantial hole for filling. Fit the hollowed apples into the base of an ovenproof skillet.

  3. Step 3

    Fill apples with enough sausage to overflow and have a small mound of meat atop each. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Place knobs of butter in the small spaces between the apples. Tuck sage leaves into remaining gaps.

  5. Step 5

    Pour enough wine into pan to cover apples (the sausage tops can peek out above the liquid’s surface).

  6. Step 6

    Place pan in oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until apples can easily be pierced with a knife.

  7. Step 7

    Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Tip
  • Specialty ingredients can be found at Buon Italia at the Chelsea Market, or any other gourmet Italian food purveyor

Ratings

4 out of 5
19 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Shelley

I think that this called for the teeny apples that are used in cornucopia? I used early season pink lady apples cut in 8ths (cut in quaraters and cut the quarters in half). Used chorizo bulk sausage 'cause that is what I had, made into little balls and garnished them with a sage leaf to look like a tiny apple that sat on an apple. filled up with wine for 3/4 inch. It was tasty and silly and a lovely part of a plague cocktail hour.

Shelley

I think that this called for the teeny apples that are used in cornucopia? I used early season pink lady apples cut in 8ths (cut in quaraters and cut the quarters in half). Used chorizo bulk sausage 'cause that is what I had, made into little balls and garnished them with a sage leaf to look like a tiny apple that sat on an apple. filled up with wine for 3/4 inch. It was tasty and silly and a lovely part of a plague cocktail hour.

Dennis

I like the unusualness and the simplicity, but this is perplexing. 12 apples wouldn’t fit into any but my outdoor paella skillet, unless unusually small. A half a large link doesn’t seem like it would fill many apples with a hole of any size (and what tool?). And spherical fruit wouldn’t leave “small spaces” between the apples for butter knobs. Too bad there’s no picture with something to give scale. I look forward to comments. Heating the wine seems like it would speed cooking a lot.

Joyce

You can see a picture of the dish if you click on the featured article under the blurb above: Featured in: New Year’s Ease | Cooking At Home With Gottino’s Jody Williams. Link: https://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/new-years-ease-cooking-at-home-with-gottinos-jody-williams/

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Recipes from Jody Williams at Gottino.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.