FENNEL AND GARLIC SAUSAGE

image MAKES ABOUT 12 SAUSAGES

I FIND LITTLE ELSE AS SATISFYING in the kitchen as making my own sausage, and this Mediterranean-inspired recipe is a great first foray. This sausage features two types of fennel: the actual bulb and fennel seeds, so it’s really rich with that warm anise flavor but is balanced beautifully thanks to a generous smattering of Mediterranean herbs—and lots of garlic. I love this sausage sliced and tossed into pastas, but in truth, it needs little adornment: it’s perfect grilled all on its own with seasonal salads and your favorite beer. Please note that our sausage recipes do require some special equipment and cooking instructions, which you can learn more about in Making Great Sausage at Home (here).

3 cups Grain Meat Grind (here)

VEGETABLE MIXTURE

1 yellow onion, ¼-inch diced

1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, cored and ¼-inch diced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons vegan chicken base

DRY MIXTURE

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

LIQUID MIXTURE

½ cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup red wine

FINAL ADDITION

1¼ cups vital wheat gluten

EQUIPMENT

½ length sausage casing (about 5 inches still compressed; see note here) or 24 inches aluminum foil or waxed paper

24 inches butcher’s twine

Sausage stuffer or sausage stuffer attachment

Steamer basket

1. Place the grind in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the vegetable mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Remove from the heat and cool in the fridge. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, add them to the grind in the mixing bowl.

3. Combine the dry mixture ingredients in a small bowl, then combine with the grind mixture. Toss to coat thoroughly.

4. Whisk together the liquid mixture in a small bowl and combine with the grind mixture, stirring together with a large spoon. Add the vital wheat gluten and combine fully with your hands.

5. Extrude the sausage into the casing, tying it off with the butcher’s twine. (Alternatively, see “Making Great Sausage at Home,” here, if you do not have casing.) The sausages should not be stuffed too tightly, or else they will burst during the cooking process.

6. Steam the sausages in a steamer basket for 1 hour, then transfer to the fridge to cool. When the sausages are cool enough to handle, carefully remove the casing, and store the sausages in a resealable plastic bag in the fridge until ready to use.

NO MEAT GRINDER? NO PROBLEM

image

I realize that a meat grinder isn’t exactly a mainstay in most home kitchens, so a good hack here is to use your food processor to grind the grain meat. To do so, slice up your meat into roughly 1-inch cubes and divide them into two groups. Because you want some differently sized bits in your grind for optimal texture, you’re going to process one group into more of a fine grind (resembling, say, orzo pasta) and the other into more of a coarse grind (resembling a small bean). Once the meat is processed, you’ll go ahead and mix both grinds together in a big bowl, and you’re ready to roll.