Fennel Sausage

The revered pig has been a hallmark of il Buco since the early days. For Alberto, the animals of the family barnyard are an integral part of the Umbrian culture, and the pig plays a huge role in this landlocked region. Bernardo Flores has carried this torch for so many years at il Buco that it is second nature to him. Yet as much as he and we would love to share our salumi recipes with all of you, the reality would require a prohibitive amount of equipment and infrastructure. But making fresh sausages is easy. So here is a relatively simple recipe that will yield indelible delight for the adventurous cook and make the Black Rice with Sausage & Shrimp all the more delectable. At Alimentari we dry the sausages to make cacciatorini, but these fresh ones can be simply grilled in their casings or emptied from their casings and added to any number of pasta dishes to great effect. The fennel pollen is the key ingredient and adds the subtle flavor that sings here. Follow in Bernardo’s footsteps and try on your norcino skills with this recipe.

Serves 8 to 10

4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into ¼-inch cubes

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon fennel pollen

1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper

2 tablespoons whole fennel seeds

5 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons ice-cold water

1 sausage casing

Special equipment needed: stand mixer with meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachment

1. Mix all the ingredients together except the casing. Place in the freezer until the meat reaches 32°F.

2. Once chilled, grind through a ¼-inch meat grinder plate attached to the meat grinder.

3. Divide the meat in half, regrind one half. Then mix both halves together.

4. Rinse the casing well with cold water and feed onto a large tube of the sausage stuffer attachment on a stand mixer. Tie a knot at the end of the casing and pierce it gently with the tip of a toothpick. Pass the meat from the stuffer into the casing, making sure the meat is densely packed. Once you have used all the meat, twist the sausages into 4-inch lengths. Tie off the casing after the last sausage. Trim excess casing. Using a toothpick, prick the sausage a few times per link.

5. Roll the sausage into a spiral. Grill immediately, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

“In our many hours of work together on the salumi program at Alimentari, Bernardo became my spiritual brother. We protected that place and the salumi like a baby.”

—CHRISTOPHER LEE