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It seems fitting that the first post to launch my new food blog is a recipe handed down from my grandmother. In the early 1900’s, she emigrated to the United States to put down roots in Omaha, Nebraska, where she lived for the rest of her life. Like many, MANY Italians, she came from Carlentini, Sicily, to escape poverty and oppression, and because money was scarce, she learned to cook–and cook well!–with what little she had. Ask any of my siblings or cousins, when we were growing up, her house always smelled so GOOD!
Here I am with her on my first day of Kindergarten.
Recently, we made a batch of her Italian sausage. Credit goes to my sister, Barb, for ramrodding the whole operation. We have a large family, so it takes a lot of meat to make enough for all of us.
Thankfully, her husband, Jim, is childhood friends with the owner of a local pizzeria (www.orsibakery.com) who generously allowed us use of his meat grinder and even had one of his guys cut up the meat for us. Barb quintupled the recipe, and that adds up to 125 lbs of pork. Saved us a TON of time, let me tell you.
We kept the lamb intestine casings in a bucket of cold salt water.
After the seasonings, ice is added to the chopped pork to keep the meat from getting too gummy in the grinder.
On our way!
Piling up!
Afterward, we twisted the sausage into links and bagged them in quart-size sealable bags, which each held 1 lb. of meat. While we did most of the sausage in links, we left a good portion in bulk, too. Perfect for pizza, casseroles, and easy browning.
Delicioso!
Ingredients
- 25 lbs. chopped pork (beef could be used, too)
- 8 Tb salt (1/2 cup)
- 2 Tb pepper
- 7 Tb fennel seed
- 7 Tb dried oregano
- 5 Tb garlic powder
- 2 Tb red pepper seed, optional (we didn't use any)
Instructions
- Place meat and seasonings in a grinder to thoroughly incorporate. Add ice as needed. Stuff into casings, twisting at desired length. Sausage could be left in bulk form, too.
- This recipe is tripled, so adjust accordingly.
About Me
I’m a wife to one, mom to four, grandmother to eight. . . and a romance novel writer! After publishing 14 western historical romances with traditional publishers, I self-published a contemporary romance before embarking on my new 1920s historical romantic suspense series, The Secret Six. Please do visit my website, www.pamcrooks.com, to learn more about my books, all available on Amazon as well as most other online booksellers.
(Read more on the About Me page.)
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