Cut it into pieces about the length of a hot dog, slice in half and butterfly (don't cut all the way through) and pan fry or grill - put on a bun. Yummy sandwiches.

Peel the casing off, grind in the food processor, pan fry - drain fat - use as a top for pizza along with sliced sweet onions and green peppers.

Cut into thin slices, put in pot with mussels, some canned tomatoes and a bit of white wine - steam until mussels open - serve over linguini garnished with chopped fresh parsley and crusty bread.

I have a recipe for Portuguese kale soup with linguicia. I'll try to locate it and post it for you.

seagrass

oooh great ideas Seagrass...
For those others in the "know" on this ...can I use it as I would a smoked sausage of any sort? I'm guessing this might have a bit of heat to it?

Here in our area, we have a large Portuguese population and liguica is THE sausage of choice.

It's cooked in a gazillion ways, starting with slicing it crosswise or at an angle or butterflied and fried. Just about every restaurant around here serves it with eggs for breakfast.

It's commonly slow-grilled whole (my favorite).

It's cut into pieces and cooked in soups and stews and pastas. Really good with peas. Baked beans and linguica. Linguica and potatoes.

My favorites are those that use it in Cajun-Creole kinda dishes, instead of Andouille. I really love grilled chicken and linguica with a Cajun-spiced rose-cream sauce over pasta.

It's great thin sliced and cooked with clams (this IS Pismo Beach, after all, home of the Pismo clam).

Santa Maria-style fried rice.

There's a popular bread sold at some bakeries here that have linguica in it.

Why not on pizza?

Joe

Pizza was my first thought too!

Deanna

What is it?!

Tweaked from a website:

"Linguiça is a type of sausage that comes from Portugal. It is also known as linguica or linguisa. The sausage is distinguished by a mildly spicy flavor tempered with a smoking process which makes the sausage flavorful and tender.

The primary ingredient of linguiça is pork butt, which is cut into rough pieces and mixed with spices. Pork butt tends to be lean, resulting in a leaner sausage with a more meaty flavor. Common spices in linguiça include oregano, paprika, garlic, pepper, cumin and sometimes cinnamon. These spices are mixed throughly with the uncooked meat, which is allowed to rest before being forced into sausage cases.

Some cooks brine their linguiça in a vinegar and salt mixture overnight before smoking it, while others mix the brine in with the meat before making the sausages. In either case, the brine mellows the flavor of the sausage and adds a distinct flavor. The resulting sausage can be eaten fresh, but it is more often smoked to make it more durable. Usually, linguiça needs to be stored under refrigeration or frozen, and it will need to be cooked before being eaten.

Linguiça can be used like other sausages in an assortment of foods. It makes an excellent pizza topping, especially for people who prefer more mild sausage. It can also be tossed with pasta, kneaded into bread dough, or served hot in a sandwich heaped with an assortment of roasted vegetables. As with all pork products, make sure that linguiça is cooked thoroughly before serving."

OMG Terri, we love linguica sausage! We use it in gumbo, when we can't find andouille (?sp) We use it in our seafood kaboobs. I par pan fry it and put it on the skewers with Shrimp, scallops,fillet, tomatoes and peppers! I use it in chicken quesadillas. Any place that you would use a smokey, spicey sausage! What a find! Gina

Gina!
This I have to see...

"We use it in our seafood kaboobs."

ROTFLMAO!
Deanna

OMG Deanna! I have tears running down my face from laughing so hard, as I say it with red face! It was a very long day yesterday and who knows kaboobs may just be plain fun!
Gina

Love linguica and eggs and love it on pizza. Haven't had it in ages!

Well hmmmmm I think it's quite a few pounds since it's "costco" packaging. LOL

Maybe Linguica and eggs tonight for dinner. Or on kaBOOBs with chicken....LOL

Excellent choice Terri! :)
Gina

Yummy!!! I am Portuguese and was raised on linguica! Always had it in the house and have a hard time finding it now since I moved away from our "Portuguese" neighborhood. I do pick it up when I see it, as my kids have learned to love it and have my mom get it for me when she can!!

It is similar to Andouille flavor sausage, but different.

So - how do we eat it ... anyway we can! Yes, on the BBQ is good, also, pan "sauteed" in a good red wine! Sliced and served in vegetables (think green beans and peas), definitely on pizza and always with eggs for breakfast. Some places even have it available in a "patty" style, like canadian bacon, and it makes a great breakfast sandwich that way! In soups, especially the Kale soups, but others also, and always in Portuguese beans.

And Joe, that is one of the reasons I love visiting Pismo - I can order it off the menu for breakfast!!!

One more comment, it is also easy to find in Hawaii, due their Portuguese population. I think I can remember seeing it on a McDonald's menu there years ago!

Now, do I have any in the freezer, because that is sounding yummy for dinner ...

My wife organizes a student exchange between the university here and two universities in Brazil. For an end of the year party for the students I used linguiça to make Feijoada (which is often referred to as the National Dish of Brazil) It is basically a black bean stew and it is delicious.

Here's my recipe:

FEIJOADA - BRAZILIAN BLACK BEAN STEW

Serves 12 or so. If you cannot find the linguiça, you can use chorizo or even smoked sausage. Also the recipe usually calls for dried black beans, but then it calls for soaking them for hours and cooking in a pressure cooker.

1.5 lbs pork (cubed)
1 lb linguiça (cubed)(Porteguese smoked sausage)
6 oz salt pork (or bacon) chopped
3 oz Armour dried beef (chopped fine)
3 tbsp cooking oil
3 medium onions (chopped)
2 tbsp minced garlic
5 15oz can KunarÂs brand Southwestern Black Beans
1 15oz can KunarÂs brand Refried Black Beans w/ lime
½ 6oz can of chipotle chiles in abodo sauce (optional)
2 cups water

In large pot over medium heat, heat oil and salt pork (or bacon) just until it starts to brown. Add pork and onlion and cook until the pork is completely cooked and the onions are softened. Add sausage and the garlic and cook and stir for another 10 minutes.

Add the 5 cans of beans (including the water in the cans), the dried beef, the chopped chipotle chiles, and the water and bring to a low boil and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the can of refried black beans and stir it in well.

It can either be served immediately or be put into a crockpot on low to keep warm for later.
Serve over white rice and drink a caipirinha with it.

Tudo Bem

-Bob

Bob, that sounds delish!

MKToni, My husband is Azorean, so we eat a lot of linguica. :) Gaspars out of New Bedford will ship it. I think their website in www.linguica.com

My MIL has ordered from them for 45 years or more, and I order about twice a year and freeze that and their wonderful chourico and salpico. I've tried other companies, but I always go abck to them because the sausage in the best and they take such care in shipping.

And now I think I'm going to have to pull some out of the freezer to have with eggs and potatoes Sunday morning!