Sometimes ephemera—a recipe torn from a magazine, a waiter’s mention of subtle components in a tasty dish, grandma’s faded food notations on a 3 x 5 card— lodge in one’s repertoire of favorites for decades. Twenty some years ago, when Aidell’s was a small artisanal charcuterie near Berkeley, they suggested a marvelous, spicy sauce for their Andouille sausages skewered with vegetables. Happily, the dish tastes equally delicious whether cooked over a charcoal grill or under the kitchen broiler, so it gives enjoyment at any season.

Corporate Aidell now distributes its sausages, vacuum packed, to supermarkets round the country. Absent these, any good local sausage, such as hot or sweet Italian, would serve just fine.


-- 4 to 6 good quality sausages (Andouille, Cajun, Italian)
-- a red and a green bell pepper, cut into 1½” squares
-- a large onion halved medially, then cut into fourths and further separated into chunks
-- button or shitake mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth
-- cherry tomatoes
-- 6 to 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter
-- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
-- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
-- 1½ tablespoons whole grained mustard such as Pomméry
-- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
-- ½ teaspoon hot sambal or Tabasco sauce
-- salt and pepper

Fire a grill or oven broiler. Slice the sausages into ½” rounds, and intersperse them (flat face to the fire) among the vegetables on long skewers. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, and brush or pour some of the flavored mix over the kebabs. Broil or grill them until the meat browns invitingly, flip, brush with additional spiced sauce, and cook until done.

Serve with white rice, sprinkled with any sauce remaining in the broiling pan or bowl.