Italian Style Sausage Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the ground black pepper, parsley, Italian-style seasoning, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, anise, paprika, minced onion flakes and salt; mix well.
• Place pork in a separate large bowl and add the spice mix to it. Mix this thoroughly with your hands.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute the seasoned pork for 10 minutes, or until well browned and crumbly.

Steps:

• Toast fennel seed in medium sized, heavy saute pan over medium heat, constantly moving seeds around in pan until they start to turn light brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once cool, grind seeds and combine with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley in medium mixing bowl. Add pork and blend thoroughly. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Using the fine blade of a grinder, grind the pork. After lubricating stuffer or stuffing attachment with shortening, load casing onto attachment, clipping end with a clothespin. Stuff meat into casings, trying to avoid air pockets. After stuffing is finished lay out on counter and tie off end. Pinch and twist to form 4-inch sausages. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Store in refrigerator for use within 2 to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing, wrap in aluminum foil. If using immediately, saute over medium heat in a heavy saute pan with 1/4-inch of water. Bring water to boil, put on lid and cook for 10 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking over medium heat, turning every 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Sausage should reach an internal temperature of 150 to 156 degrees F.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Remove from the pan; cool slightly before cutting into 1/4-in. slices; return to the pan. Add zucchini and onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Serve with rice or pasta.

Steps:

• In a small skillet, toast fennel seeds over high heat, shaking the pan to keep seeds from burning, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer seeds to a bowl. Add ground fennel, salt, black pepper, sugar, and nutmeg or anise. If making hot sausages, add red-pepper flakes and cayenne pepper as well. Stir to combine. Set seasoning blend aside.
• If you are grinding your own sausage, fit meat grinder with a 1/2-inch die (or the larger of the two dies, if using a grinder with only two sizes). Pass meat through grinder into a large bowl. Meanwhile, mix seasoning blend with 1 1/2 ounces water. Sprinkle seasoning blend over meat and toss gently with hands to distribute evenly. Pass meat through grinder a second time, using the same die. (If using preground meat, gently toss with seasoning.) Cover bowl and refrigerate until ready to stuff sausages.
• Transfer meat to a sausage stuffer or stand mixer fitted with a sausage stuffing attachment and plastic stuffing tube. Put a baking sheet or bowl below stuffing tube to catch sausages as they are stuffed.
• Carefully slide the casing onto stuffing tube. Leave about 3 inches of casing hanging off end of tube. Begin cranking sausage meat into casing, guiding stuffed sausage with one hand to keep meat moving consistently through casing so sausages are neither overstuffed nor understuffed. As casing is stuffed, curl sausage into a coil.
• When all sausage has been stuffed, slide remaining casing off tube and tie a knot at both ends as close to the meat as possible. Twist sausages several times to create links every 4 inches, alternating the direction you twist. Store in a resealable bag and cook within 1 week of making, or freeze up to 3 months.

Steps:

• To prepare casings: Let casings soak in cool water about five minutes to remove salt on outer surface (no longer, or they will become too tender to stuff) and flush salt from the inside by placing one end on faucet nozzle and turn on cold tap water (if you see holes or water leaking, cut and discard).
• Remove casing from faucet and gently squeeze out water; cover rinsed casings and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Mix all the ingredients and let stand for 1 hour.
• Mix again and then stuff into casings.
• Column: 'Sausages like Mama used to make' Frugal Gourmet News column.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the black pepper, parsley, Italian-style seasoning, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, fennel,paprika, minced onion flakes and salt; mix well.
• Place pork in a separate large bowl and add the spice mix to it. Mix this thoroughly with your hands.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute the seasoned pork for 10 minutes, or until well browned and crumbly.