Recipe: Apple Sage and Fennel Breakfast Sausage

Garden fresh sage, scallion tops &  fennel seeds, waiting to be chopped fine

Cooking apples and scallion whites, heated

Combine all ingredients

This is the one I'm most anxious to try. He have six pounds.

I should note that in addition to the Wolf Boar, Currywurst and this, we also made four pounds of Maple sausage and five pounds of Homemade Hot Sage Sausage.

We a sausage rich. All told, we put up 28 pounds yesterday.
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From thespicysausage.com

APPLE, SAGE AND FENNEL BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tart cooking apples, about 15 oz total, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼ inch dices
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin, white and green parts divided
2 lb ground pork
½ C fresh sage, packed loose, chopped fine
1 ½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed or lightly chopped
1 tsp salt (can use curing salt, like Morton’s Tender Quick)
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a 10 inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add apples and scallion whites, and cook until apples are soft and beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Combine all ingredients. Form into 1 lb logs. If using curing salt, let cure refrigerated for 24 hours. Freeze.

Recipe: Currywurst

No photo of this one. It was one of the most bizarrely colored sausages Mr. Big Food has made. It looked like hotdog meat. Except, of course, for the fact that we all know what's in it!

I believe Mr. Big Food doubled this recipe, based on the amount of pig shoulder we had. We have seven pounds.
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The blogger at thespicysausage.com writes: “I’d like to thank Edward K for sending in this recipe. We made them and they turned out fantastic!!”

CURRYWURST SAUSAGE

3 lb pork shoulder meat, ground
1 C whipping cream
1 Tbsp salt (can use curing salt, like Morton’s Tender-Quick)
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp curry, mild
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp pepper
Hot dog casings (optional)

Mix salt, turmeric, curry, paprika, and pepper into meat, then mix in cream. If stuffing casings, place mixture in food processor and process to hot dog emulsion, stuff the meat paste into small hog casings, tie off into 6 inch links, and fry and eat or freeze. If not using casings, form into 1 lb logs. Let cure refrigerated 24 hours if using curing salt. Freeze.

Recipe: Wolf Boar Sausage

This is what homemade sausage looks like before it's shaped into logs, cured, frozen, and later cooked and eaten: A big gooey mess. But we know what's in it!

We made six pounds of Wolf Boar Sausage. Mr. Big Food got this recipe from Mr. Big Food's Uncle. 

WOLF BOAR SAUSAGE

5 lbs lean hog meat, plus 1 lb fat back (or 6 pounds pig shoulder meat), ground

¼ C fennel seeds

1 ½ Tbsp sea salt (or use curing salt, like Morton’s Tender-Quick)

1 Tbsp course ground black pepper

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 Tbsp crushed red pepper

½ C sweet marsala wine

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. If using curing salt, cure 24 hours in refrigerator. Freeze in 1 lb logs.

How to Tell It's Fall Sausage-Making Day

The dogs will be cooped up in the den all day.

SEC football will be on and the kitchen will be a mess,

but smell really good-- that's 1 cup of freshly picked sage + other things.

You will come upon scenes like this.

That's Apple, Fennel, Sage Sausage. I'm anxious to try that. 

More on the sausages later, as I post the recipes.

Recipe: Homemade Hot Sage Sausage.

This is the sausage Mr. Big Food used in this week's Holiday Brunch Casserole. (It's not especially hot.)

HOMEMADE HOT SAGE SAUSAGE

Makes 1 lb, but easily multiplied

1 lb ground pork
1 tsp curing salt (like Morton’s Tender-Quick)
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp rubbed sage
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp crushed red pepper
¼ tsp Accent

Combine all ingredients, blending well. Form in log and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 24 hours. Use or freeze.

Recipe: Homemade Maple Sausage

Used in this meatloaf recipe.

There was some discussion about meatloaf, with Miss M saying before she turned vegan she liked brown sugar on top. In this meatloaf recipe, the maple sausage adds the hint of sweet.

HOMEMADE MAPLE SAUSAGE

Makes 1 lb, easily multiplied

1 lb ground pork
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp curing salt (like Morton’s Tender-Quick)
½ tsp Accent
¼ tsp coriander

Combine all ingredients, mixing well, and form into a log. Mixture will be very sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and refrigerate 24 hours. Use or freeze.

Recipe: Sausage Stuffing Bake

Photo here. Recipe for Caraway Sausage (which is what Mr. Big Food used in this dish) here.

SAUSAGE STUFFING BAKE

Serves 6

1 ½ lbs bulk pork sausage (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)

1 C packaged herb stuffing mix

1 C tart apples, pared and chopped fine

½ C celery, chopped fine

¼ C onion, chopped fine

2 Tbsp snipped parsley

2 Tbsp chili sauce (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)

¼ tsp dry mustard

¼ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375^o. Shape sausage into 12 patties, ¼ inches thick. Prepare stuffing according to package directions using ¼ C water and 2 Tbsp butter. Add apple, celery, onion, parsley, chili sauce, dry mustard, and pepper, tossing well. Arrange 6 of the sausage patties in a shallow baking pan. Top each with ½ C stuffing mixture, then another patty, and secure with wooden toothpicks through center. Bake about 45 minute or until done.

Recipe: Caraway Sausage

CARAWAY SAUSAGE

5 lbs ground fatty pork

¾ C cold white wine

3 Tbsp caraway seeds

1 C chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, whatever)

1 C minced onion

2 tsp brown sugar

4 tsp curing salt (like Morton’s Tender-Quik)

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp ground allspice

Combine all ingredients, mix well, and stuff into hog casings or form into 1 lb logs. Cure 24 hours in refrigerator. Cook or freeze. 

Sausage Stuffing Bake with Home Made Caraway Sausage

It wasn't really burnt.

What we have here is a sausage patty topped with stuffing topped with a sausage patty. 

What we have here is Green Beans Belle. 

Very good

Recipes as soon as Mr. Big Food sends them from the kitchen to the den via the World Wide Web. (It would go so much quicker if the recipes were on note cards.)

Recipe: Sausage Popover Pancake

Use cheap pie plates

What a treat! Missy behaved quite well in the kitchen, as we knew she was able.

Mr. Big Food used homemade Italian sausage, which we made a week ago.

Sunday Supper

Recipe below the fold.

Recipe: Homemade Pennsylvania Dutch Sausage

Photo documentary of sausage making Sunday here.

There was some adjustment to this recipe as well. We prepared the meat and spices as instructed, but then measured out 1 pound logs to cure 24 hours and freeze. 

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“Strongly spiced pure pork sausage to eat fresh, freeze, smoke, or store in lard.”

HOMEMADE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH SAUSAGE

4 lbs fresh pork sides

2 lbs boneless fresh pork (Boston or picnic shoulder)

2 Tbsp cloves

3 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp ground nutmeg

3 Tbsp salt

2 tsp pepper

Handful finely chopped fresh sage OR 6 Tbsp dry rubbed sage

Pig casings (if using)

Cut skin and rib bones from pork sides. Chop all meat roughly, then grind medium fine. Pound all spices to a powder, then add to meat with salt, pepper, and fresh or dried sage. If using casings, prepare and stuff short fat links (about 4 inches long). Hang sausages in a cool place overnight to develop the flavor. Cook and eat fresh, or freeze. For smoking, leave sausages to dry in cool airy place for 2-3 days, then smoke at 70^o for 5 hours.

Recipe: Italian Sausage (Sweet or Hot)

Tips and photos of sausage making here. I love the brevity of the instructions. Combine, mix, stuff, eat!

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Using Hungarian paprika makes Hungarian sausage.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE (SWEET OR HOT)

5 lb pork butt, coarsely ground

1 1/3 Tbsp salt

1 1/3 Tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp black pepper

5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 Tbsp paprika

1 C cold water

2 tsp crushed red pepper (for hot)

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Stuff into casings or make patties. Use or freeze.

Recipe: Pork and Deer Sausage

Last Sunday we made three kinds of sausage. The blow by blow of sausage making-- with several photos-- is here.

The following recipe was adjusted; we doubled the pork and omitted the deer meat.

PORK AND DEER SAUSAGE

Makes 3 ½ lbs sausage

1 ¾ lb ground deer meat

1 ¾ lb ground fatty pork

1 Tbsp curing salt

1 tsp Cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1/8 tsp sage

1/8 tsp curry powder

1 tsp dried mint, crumbled

Mix all ingredients and shape into ½-1 lb logs. Wrap logs in plastic wrap and let cure, refrigerated, for 24 hours. Use as bulk sausage or slice into patties and fry. Freeze what you don’t use.

Teamwork: Sausage

I am glad the Giants won. I do not care for New England and I think that coach is an utter slob. (I dislike him so much I'm not even going to bother figuring out how to spell his name.)

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Mr. Big Food and I spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen yesterday-- about five hours. We worked together to produce a bunch of stuff. The highlight of our production was 14 1/2 pounds of homemade sausage: Three pounds of Pennsylvania Dutch, five pounds of Sweet Italian, and six and one-half pounds of pork sausage. It's curing in the fridge right now, and then it will go into the freezer. This much sausage should last us three to four months.

One of the many nice things about making your own sausage is that you know exactly what's in it.

To make homemade sausage, you need only one specialized piece of equipment-- a meat grinder or grinding attachment for your mixer.

This is an electric grinder. When we first started making sausage, we used a hand-cranked table top model.

A scale is useful if you make sausage on the scale that we do.

Mr. Big Food and I each have our own tasks in the sausage making process. 

Produce (v.)

Crash.

Today I took Missy to the front Pasture where she had a good run. She loves the pond.

Today Mr. Big Food and I canned four quarts of green salsa, 

made some guacamole, unclogged the kitchen sink, made chili for supper, took Missy out a few more times, and made 14 1/2 pounds of three different kinds of sausage.

And watched a football game.