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Balsamic-Braised Sausages with Grapes and Watercress

Be sure to use fresh sausages, rather than smoked ones, for this recipe. Browning them first 
in a broiler highlights their meaty flavor, and the slow cooker transforms them, making them meltingly tender. The fresh, robust flavors of the salad–tart-sweet grapes and peppery watercress–are the perfect counterpoint to the braised sausages. Large, dark purple grapes, which should be quartered rather than halved, are also lovely in this salad.

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Balsamic-Braised Sausages with Grapes and Watercress

Why it works: Pork and chicken match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,417 recipes. Both carry 2-furfurylthiol, which smells coffee, roasted. The science ↓

Balsamic-Braised Sausages with Grapes and Watercress

Serves 4.

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

732Calories
47 gProtein
45 gFat
31 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 14 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pork Sausage100g cooked301
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Green Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Fennel Bulb1/2 bulb (87g)27
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Shallot1 tbsp minced (10g)7
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Watercress1 cup (34g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By williamssonoma. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pork + chickentop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,417 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

  2. Shallot + fenneltop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together146 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Fennel + celerytop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together276 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  4. Shallot + garlictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,000 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  5. Fennel + clovetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together350 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, shallot, fennel, celery, garlic, pepper, chicken):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Tarragonfits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, shallot, fennel, celery, garlic, pepper, chicken. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.