Italian sausage making, 2007

annie1992

18 years ago

Elery was up for the weekend and we decided to take some of last year's pork and beef and grind it into sausage. After a bit of discussion, we decided to make italian sausage because Elery worked for an Italian grocer in the Detroit area when he was a teenager and spent a lot of time making that sausage.

So.....we dragged out that big KitchenAid (thanks again, Nancy!) because Elery had a sausage grinding and stuffing attachment, and we started grinding.

After about half an hour, we had two bowls of this:

Elery made a seasoning mix out of kosher salt, black pepper, fennel, tarragon, asiago cheese (his old boss used Romano, but we decided we liked asiago better, LOL) and some wine. Then a little more wine. Ahem. We mixed it into the two bowls of ground meat. Finally, with Elery feeding the sausage mixture in the top and me twisting off the links and tying them, we got this:

Of course, we had to cook SOME. This is really, really good. Next weekend I think we're making a turkey sausage with dried tart cherries. Yum....

Annie

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Comments (29)

jojoco
18 years ago
Let's see, Elery "was up for the weekend", you both started "grinding," added "wine" and the outcome was "really, really good (sausage)".
I need to grow up--I just couldn't walk away from this one.
Glad you had fun "cooking", wink, wink.
Jo
san_
18 years ago
god bless you guys--grinding and stuffing away like that! i'll have some of that wine now too, please--prosit!
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NEVER freeze the sausage casings! This will have the effect of breaking them down when rehydrated and then they fall apart. Mine sit in a container with about half a cup of Kosher salt mixed in, and around them. They don't need a FS storeage. Its stored in the fridge at all times, when you're not using some. I pull out the tangled wad of casings from the container and seperate out what I need, the rest get put back in the container. Yes, a little bit of water can be added, but not to soak the casings, but to allow the salt to stick to everything, kind of like a slush. If I have too much casing that is soaking prior to stuffing, I just pass it through my fingers to remove the excess water and put the rest back into the container with a little added kosher salt. Some of my cases were as old as 6+ years before being used up, and I saw no difference in these compared to some I just bought. The FS isn't needed for the casings as the small amount of water and all that salt will help to preserve them. You can use the FS for both fresh or smoked sausages of all kinds. I made some pepperoni last year using the long dry process curing. It requires the other type of nitrate, and the sausages were just stuffed and dried in air for about a month. I prefer to buy whole spices and grind them when needed. That means whole peppercorns, coriander, mustard seed, etc. The reason I use dried onions and garlic along with fresh is because the dried don't add any water to the meats. I also use dried green and red pepper flakes as they are quite cheap and work just as good as fresh, again without added water. When storing the whole spices, pour them in pint or quart Ball jars and use a lid, along with the adaptor that comes with teh FS. This adaptor can allow you to pull a vacuum on the jar and seal it under vacuum all in one step. Avoid light when storing herbs and spices. Even for that, if its an herb (leaf based), most will lose flavor very fast, so buy fresh dried herbs when making the sausages. One kind I plan to make is a beef, with dried tomato powder and lots of basil. I might add garlic too. Some spices and herbs can keep a little longer well if stored in FS bags and frozen or refrigerated. Here, I don't bother, as I make so much, I usually run out of the spices before I run out of sausage that I make.
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Carol Schmertzler Siegel
18 years ago
LOL, Jo!

Not going there with the sausage jokes, OMG, LOL, that'd be too easy or I could get thrown out of here! Nope not saying anything!

but they do look great, and turkey and dried cherries sausage sound really, really good! I think it's so cool you guys found each other, you are a perfect match!
beanthere_dunthat
18 years ago
I'm leaving the implied and tempting jokes alone. I'm already on probation.

Annie, I have not forgotten about the Portuguese recipes. By the time I uploaded the drivers and got the scanner working, I'd had enough of the computer for one night. Also, MIL is coming on Tuesday and if she can give me a lift to the post office, I'll just mail the scanned pages to you along with some of the spice blend. If you decide not to make the sausages, you're familiar enough with the blend that you'll find a use for it. :)
woodie
18 years ago
Hehehe.
wizardnm
18 years ago
No sausage jokes from here but it sure looks like you had a fun weekend!

Nancy
pghsteelerfan
18 years ago
Sorry, Annie - you walked right into that one!!!

Hope the sausage tastes good - it looks delicious!

Barb
shaun
18 years ago
*snicker* I'm going to my room
earthlydelights
18 years ago
no dirty-minded comments here LOL

very nice annie to have that special someone to spend time with in the kitchen.

i'm curious - is that kitchen twine you tied the sausage off with? will you/did you cook it with the twine? i have to admit, i've never seen it done that way. your links are very neat and uniform.

try broccoli rabe, shaved parmesaen and just a hint of garlic in one of your sausage experiments - now that's a good sausage!

maryanne
canarybird01
18 years ago
They look wonderful Annie! I bet you're really going to enjoy dining on those.

And I'm also so pleased when I hear how well you and Elery get along doing the same things together in the kitchen. Really seems like you're made for each other. We all love to hear those happily-ever-after stories when they happen in real life!

SharonCb
lyndaluu2
18 years ago
Oh man what great looking sausage!!!!!!

Sounds like the two of you had lots of fun. LOL

Linda
annie1992
Original Author
18 years ago
Well of course we had lots of fun, in the kitchen as well as in other places. Go ahead, make sausage stuffing jokes, you know I would if I got the chance. I am completely unable to pass up a straight line and I'm here to tell you that Elery is an accomplished stuffer, with or without wine. So there, Woodie, LOL.

Maryanne, that is kitchen twine I tied the links with, because I wanted to be able to take just one or two links out of a package for Ashley and I or for Elery and I. Of course, I hadn't thought of that before we started, so I grabbed the trusty kitchen twine and started tying. It worked well, although I have to remove the twine when I serve it, I just cook it with the twine on. I did find out quickly that I have to poke the links with a fork before I cook them or they explode, startling Ashley. LOL Yes, you can actually HEAR them pop. Today for lunch I have a pattie of that sausage because I ran out of casings before I ran out of sausage so I cooked some patties for sandwiches. Skip the bread and add the leftover roasted vegetables we had on Saturday and my lunch is taken care of.

Broccoli rabe, garlic and parmesan? Would that be in pork sausage or another type? I'm thinking apple and pork would be good too.....

Sharon, we do get along very well, in the kitchen as well as out of it.

R, I'll watch my mail for that Portuguese recipe, thanks. Yes, I really, really like that spice mixture. Maybe Mike could make a trucking run to White Cloud and I could send a sample back? Make sure that's a refrigerated truck...:-)

Annie
doucanoe
18 years ago
Wow, those look awesome, Annie! I don't have a stuffer so I would have to make patties, but your photo is inspiring me to try making some!

Linda
Gina_W
18 years ago
Nice Bangers!
User
18 years ago
Wow, great looking sausage. I like how you seasoned them too. Very similar to the way I make mine but I also add some hot red pepper flakes. You might want to try this recipe of LoriJeans using some of your homemade sausage.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Bowties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream
========================================
Lori's recipe

Bowties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can Italian diced tomatoes
1-1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound bowtie pasta
3 tablespoons fresh minced basil

Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage, crumble and cook in oil with crushed pepper until sausage is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook another 5-7 minutes until tender. Drain tomatoes, chop coarsely and stir into sausage along with cream, salt and basil. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.

In a separate pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta al dente. Drain pasta and add to simmering sauce. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley. Serves 4.

Source: An Appetite for Art, copyright 2001
annie1992
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks, Ann, I've been trying to get up my courage to make that recipe, the combo of onions and tomatoes always seem to give me heartburn, but I can just double up on the Prevacid, LOL.

This recipe just might be worth the heartburn, and maybe it would convince Ashley that she actually likes sausage. I don't know when she decided she didn't.

Since I ran out of casings, I have some sausage in bulk, so I wouldn't even need to remove the sausage from the casings.

Annie
lackboys3
18 years ago
Annie, you and Elery make beautiful sausages together:-) The couple who stuffs together, stays together - did you know that???

The attachment for the Kitchenaid mixer is quite a handy device to have.

Being a veg since 11, I can't remember what sausage even tastes like. But I think a combination of a meat with some sort of apple, or even dried fruit (cherries or cranberries?) might taste delish. Have fun with your deluxe stuffer! And the kitchenaid mixer too:-)
DONNA
msafirstein
18 years ago
You should not participated in the Sausageathon we had a few months ago! You sausages look wonderful and so big!!

Lori's Bowties with Sausage and Cream is one of our favorites too! I have an ulcer and found that if I use green onions I have no problems at all.

Michelle
annie1992
Original Author
18 years ago
Michelle, you had sausagethon right in the middle of my garden tilling/hoeing/canning season, I just didn't have time to think about sausage then, plus I just had animals slaughtered, they only went into the freezer in the last couple of weeks, so I had to wait for the fresh meat.

Green onions "sit" better than regular onions? I don't know why that would be so but I'll sure give it a try.

Donna, "the couple who stuffs together, stays together"? LOLOLOL Wise words indeed. (grin)

Annie
User
18 years ago
Oh my...not going there! LOL

I have been making sausage for quite a while and never thought of tying off with cooking twine. Great idea! Actually I got so frustrated with twisting the links off I started just making patties. It works well but I like links better.

Thanks for the idea!
riverrat1
18 years ago
I really do want to go there but I'll behave myself.

Your sausages are so plump, moist, firm...oh yeah, I said I'd behave myself (Ahem).

Annie, you and Elery, well, it just seems like you two have always been together. I think it's a meant to be partnership. Ya'll work and play together so well!
craftyrn
18 years ago
Absolutely nothing wrong with a good "stuffing" if ya got a tasty sausage Annie!

Next time try add some slightly sauteed green peppers & onions--
beanthere_dunthat
18 years ago
Annie, he's driving flatbeds, but he is well acquainted with ice chests, so be careful what you offer. If a handsome Portuguese guy shows up on your doorstep asking what's for dinner, you have only yourself to blame! LOL!

Your package went in the mail today. There's recipes for linguica and Portuguese chourico plus about half a pound of spice mix. BTW, check out the page that describes the different sausages -- there's one listed that has orange in it that I've never found a source for (and the recipe wasn't in the cookbook, darn the author.) It sounds intriguing, though.
gardengrl
18 years ago
Must...control...myself...

Hey Annie, nice sausages!
cindy_5ny
18 years ago
Oh Annie, it just doesn't get any better - stuffing with the one you love! They look and sound great!

Cindy
msazadi
18 years ago
Annie...no sausage jokes here but glad you two enjoy yourself in all the rooms.

What kind of casing do you use for the sausages? natural? synthetic, and where do you get them? I want to try this out in 2008 since Dick got a gleam in his eye when I showed him your pics.
annie1992
Original Author
18 years ago
OK, maureen, if you can control the sausage jokes I won't say anything about sausages and stuffing and the gleam in Dick's eye. Ahem.

I used collagen casings but I think I'd try the natural ones next time. The collagen ones were easy to use but they have a paper like texture that I don't like on the cooked sausages, even if the instructions do say they are edible.

We got our spices and casings at a supply in Detroit, based on the recommendation from that Charcuterie cookbook Larry Engelhardt gave me last year. We purchased on-line, their site is www.butcher-packer.com

They were cheap, fast, reliable. Their bulk spices are great, that's where we got the fennel we used. I'll definitely order from them again.

Oh, and the book is available there too, one of the authors (Brian Polcyn) is the chef/owner of a Detroit area restaurant called Five Lakes Grill which has won about a gazillion awards for their food. It's an amazing book.

Annie
ritaotay
18 years ago
Sigh..... Afraid my sausage stuffing days are over... But I sure enjoyed reading about yours... LOL

Yes, apples are great in pork sausage... With hubby being on a low fat 'diet' I have to improvise quite a bit... I tried making my own pork sausage but if you use pork loin with out any fat it is DRY no matter how you cook it... So I ground up 1/2 a medium apple to 8 oz of ground pork, added sage and pepper and had the best and very moist pork sausage I've ever had...

Keep on stuffing Annie.... LOL

Rita
annie1992
Original Author
18 years ago
Rita, that sounds like a wonderful mixture, pork and apples just "go" together, I think.

Thanks for the good "stuffing" wishes. Ahem.

Annie

Italian sausage making, 2007

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