This sausage—crunchy from toasted pine nuts and flavored with herbs and sun-dried tomatoes—comes from both Middle Eastern and Greek traditions. Serve with stewed garbanzo beans.
Thin sheep sausage casings (optional)
11/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder
1/2 pound lamb fat or beef fat
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
11/2 teaspoons ground cumin
11/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, drained
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1. If using sausage casings, prepare them as directed.
2. Cut lamb and lamb fat into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes in a mixing bowl, and toss with salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Transfer cubes to a sheet of plastic wrap on a plate and freeze for 30 minutes, or until very firm. While meat chills, toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside.
3. Grind lamb and fat through the coarse 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, pine nuts, wine, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and oregano 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.