Phelen asked people to share their favorite sausage recipes, so I thought I would post a few that we have used in the past. We don’t eat much meat but we do use sausage in a few of our favorite recipes. I have some recipes that I think came from a Frugal Gourmet cookbook. It is so much cheaper to make specialty sausages than to buy them at the store.
Italian Sausage
2 pounds ground pork
1 tablespoon dried fennel
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
3 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup of water
When I make this I put all of the spices except the garlic in my mortar and pestle and grind them up coarsely. Then add the ground spices to the ground pork along with the salt, garlic and water. You want to let this sit for awhile so the spices have a chance to blend together. I try to make at least a day before I need it.
Chorizo
2 pounds ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons paprika
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons oregano
4 tablespoons cider vinegar (use a good one for flavor)
4 tablespoons water
Combine all the ingredients, stuff it into casings and let them sit for a couple of days.
Bratwurst
2 pound ground pork ( I think the original recipe called for half veal or ground beef)
2 teaspoons ground celery seed
2 teaspoons ground caraway seed (you can substitute fennel here if you live with a caraway hater)
1 tablespoon powdered milk
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoons minced onions
1/4 teaspoon zested lemon peel
1 tablespoon dry parsley
3 tablespoons water
Combine all the ingredients. You can stuff this into casing or fry it like the brat patties they sell at the stores around here.
Domestic Medicine 