If the idea of preparing a hearty batch of homemade sausage appeals, take a look at the new recipe and serving suggestions offered here by sausage specialists and cookbook authors Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn.
Sausage making is probably easier than you think. And once you’ve made the basic mixture it wouldn’t be difficult to cook up sausage-based fare to please the gang if you’re entertaining a Super Bowl crowd or for any other kind of lighthearted dining occasion.
Ruhlman and Polcyn are reliable guides on the subject of sausages. Their latest book is “Charcuterie” (Norton, 2005, $35). Ruhlman, who lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, is co-author of “The French Laundry Cookbook”; Polcyn, chef-owner of Five Lakes Grill in Milford, Mich., is a charcuterie instructor at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Mich.
Charcuterie is the elegant French term whose roots are “chair” (flesh) and “cuit” (cooked) and whose range includes sausage. In their book, Ruhlman and Polcyn define sausage as “a combination of ingredients that are ground and then simply cooked or smoked in varying ways, with intriguing results.”
They’ve developed an original recipe for The Associated Press, a caramelized onion and fresh marjoram pork sausage mixture – and that’s just the beginning.
“One of the best features about this sausage mixture is its versatility,” Ruhlman said.
Of course, it can be used to make conventional sausages, stuffed into casings using a stuffer or a stuffer attachment to your standing mixer, he said.
But it can also be prepared loose. You could cook the sausage meat as breakfast or sandwich patties, use with pasta, add it to soup or grill it. It would also make a fine stuffing.
“Caramelized onions add a complex sweetness to any dish – and work especially well with the pork in this sausage,” Polcyn said. “My mother made sausage with marjoram on holidays, so this is a special flavor for me. This isn’t necessarily a classic sausage flavor combination, but it’s one that really works.”
Cooks can experiment, use the basic recipe, try some of the suggested uses, then go on to discover their own favorite variations.
The sausage mixture will keep in the refrigerator for three days, or, well-wrapped, in the freezer for about a month. If you do not wish to make as much sausage as the recipe produces, the recipe can easily be halved.
You can either grind your own pork, or buy preground pork, as explained in the recipe that follows.
Here’s the basic recipe:
5pounds fresh pork shoulder butt, diced into 1-inch cubes (see note)
3tablespoons kosher salt
5tablespoons fresh marjoram, finely chopped and tightly packed
1tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
2teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1cup ice water
1cup caramelized onions (recipe below)
Combine all ingredients except water and onions; toss by hand to distribute seasonings. Grind mixture through 1/4-inch (medium) plate into a bowl set in ice. Place mixture in bowl of stand mixer; add onions and water. Paddle or mix until liquid is incorporated and the mixture has developed a uniform, tacky appearance, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Cook a small portion, taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Number of servings varies, based on method of use.
Note: If you do not have a meat grinder or meat-grinding attachment to a stand mixer, order preground pork from your butcher; just make sure to specify 25 to 30 percent fat. The authors do not recommend a food processor as an alternative for this type of sausage because they say it produces meat with more of a pastelike consistency, which does not create a pleasing end-product texture.
2large Spanish onions, finely cut, julienne-style
2tablespoons butter
Melt butter in thick-bottomed pan that has a tight-fitting lid. Add onions and sweat gently, covered, over medium heat. When onions are soft, about 5 minutes, remove lid and turn heat to high, stirring constantly, to caramelize the natural sugars. When onions are deep-brown in color, 10 to 15 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. When chilled, place onions on cutting board and finely chop for sausage.
Nutrition information per 4-ounce (1/2 cup) sausage serving: 290 cal., 22 g total fat (8 g saturated), 85 mg chol., 620 mg sodium, 2 g carbo., 20 g pro., 0 g fiber.
1tablespoon olive oil
1pound sausage
128-ounce can diced tomatoes
2teaspoons dried oregano
112-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1pound penne, cooked, drained, kept warm
1/4cup fresh basil, finely sliced
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; saute until browned, breaking up with fork, about 4 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, dried oregano and roasted red peppers. Cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Toss with penne and basil, thinly sliced. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
