Curried Chicken Sausage with Dried Fruit

Makes 2 pounds


Active time: 1 hour, including 30 minutes to chill meat


Start to finish: 2 hours

VARIATIONS

Substitute 11/2 pounds pork butt or boneless country ribs and 1/2 pound pork fat for chicken. Cook sausages to an internal temperature of 160°F.

Substitute raisins or dried cranberries for dried apricots.

Increase curry powder to 3 tablespoons and cayenne to 1 teaspoon for spicy sausage.

I add some sort of dried fruit when making curry dishes, and this sausage is no exception. Serve with Orange Mustard Sauce.

Medium hog sausage casings (optional)

2 pounds boneless chicken or turkey thigh meat with skin attached

1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

2 tablespoons curry powder

11/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1. If using sausage casings, prepare them as directed.

2. Cut chicken 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 chicken 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 chicken, dried apricots, curry powder, salt, ginger, and cayenne 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 165°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.