Italian Sausage Béchamel with Sun Dried Tomato Olive Biscuits

Ingredients for Béchamel:
1 lbs Rose Italian Sausage broken into very small bits
1 cup small diced sweet onion
2 bay leaves
1 cup Pinot Grigio wine
4 cup milk
1 clove
1 pinch fresh ground Nutmeg
1 tbls stone ground mustard
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup roux (1/4 cup whole butter and 1/4 cup all purpose flour – cooked)
Kosher salt & fresh cracked black pepper to taste

To make the Béchamel:
Make the biscuits - see recipe below.
While biscuits are in the oven place sausage into a sauce pan and cook over medium heat till lightly and evenly browned. Drain excess grease from pan. Add onions and bay leaves and continue to cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. Deglaze with Pinot Grigio and reduce by half. Add the roux and gently stir to coat all ingredients well. Add the milk, clove and nutmeg. Mix well. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and allow to thicken. Remove from heat then add basil and stone ground mustard. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients for Biscuits: (makes about 12-15)
4 cups self rising flour
1 tbls sugar
1 tbls baking powder
2/3 cup shortening or butter (cold), cut into small pieces
2 cups cold buttermilk
2 tbls chopped sun dried tomatoes
(if using oil packed - drain and blot dry. If using dry they - rehydrate in hot water for 15 minutes then blot dry)
1 tbls chopped Kalamatta olives
1 tbls chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup buttermilk – for brushing biscuits

To make the Biscuits:
Pre-Heat oven to 400ºF. Combine all dry ingredients, tomatoes, olives and parsley into a bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add 2 cups Buttermilk and mix together gently until dough sticks together. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead gently. Roll to ½ inch thick sheet and cut with 3" biscuit cutter.
Place onto greased baking sheet.
Brush with buttermilk and bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

Plating Instructions: Pour Béchamel over biscuits.

Optional garnish: Fried italian parsley (place italian parsley into fryer at 350º and fry until crispy like spinach), marinated kalamatta (olives with herbs and crushed red pepper), roasted garlic cloves and crumbled gorgonzola cheese.
Yields 6-8 portions

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Recipe by Chef Kenny J. Gilbert