Next to Sweet Italian Sausage, Luganega, which dates to the time the Romans lived in southern Italy, is my favorite when cooking Italian food. It contains some heady Parmesan along with spices. It’s especially good in tomato sauces and risotto.
Medium hog sausage casings (optional)
11/2 pounds pork butt or boneless country ribs
1/2 pound pork fat
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup dry white wine
1. If using sausage casings, prepare them as directed.
2. Cut pork and pork fat into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes on a sheet of plastic wrap on a plate and freeze for 30 minutes, or until very firm.
3. Grind meat and fat through the fine disk of a meat grinder, or in small batches in a food processor fitted with the steel blade using the on-and-off pulse button. If using a food processor, do not process into a paste, but ingredients should be very finely chopped.
4. Combine ground meat, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, salt, red pepper flakes, coriander, nutmeg, and wine in a mixing bowl, and knead mixture until well blended. Fry 1 tablespoon of mixture in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
5. Stuff mixture into casings as described, if using, and twist off into 5-inch links; prick air bubbles with a straight pin or skewer. If time permits, arrange links on a wire rack over a baking sheet and air-dry uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 day before cooking. Alternately, if keeping sausage in bulk, refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.
6. Cook sausages as directed to an internal temperature of 160°F when pierced with an instant-read thermometer or as directed in a specific recipe.
Note: Sausages can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 2 months. Once cooked, they can be refrigerated up to 3 days.