HOMEMADE ITALIAN SAUSAGE
The Art of Italian Sausage Making is a long time winter tradition bringing Italian families together from the very young to the very old for great times, good food and wonderful memories. In our family my three sons learned how to make sausages each winter time from the time they could walk, they knew shortly after Christmas Time that it was Sausage Making Time and loved helping out {eating mostly ~ he he -smile}, as they grew they perfected their sausage abilities knowing how to handle the casing while it’s filing with meat, tying and twisting. The bulk of the sausages made in January and February used curing salts, so they could be hung to dry in cold cellars (the almighty Cantina if you’re Italian) until they reached perfection.
Techniques and recipes have been brought down from generation to generation to perfect this culinary art. I say this is an art form in my opinion as it takes tremendous skill to make the perfect sausage, twist or braid into links. The art of stuffing meat into casings has been around from hundreds of years as a means of preserving fresh meat. Long since I can remember my mother and father in law would summon us to their home to start the process of ‘the art’; we would make cured Italian sausage (used for slicing; deli style), Freezer Italian sausages (used for BBQ, frying, baking and in marinara sauces for enhanced flavour), Capicola’s, Soppressata’s and so on.
Italians take their food very seriously and each meal tends to be huge dramatic and culinary productions; a meal for a family of five could easily feed the whole neighbourhood. Meals made with the finest and freshest ingredients are a must, homemade over store bought is ALWAYS the preference. You’ll find ‘Cantinas’ packed to with fine meats, homemade pureed tomatoes, jarred antipastos; eggplant, zucchini, green tomatoes, the list goes on and on. Nothing could be finer than enjoying fresh bread; quality aged cheese, freshly sliced cured meats with a lovely glass of red on a summer day!
My husband and sons have inherited my father-in-laws sacred sausage machine as he’s getting up in age and decided to pass the tradition on to the ‘male’ side of the family. Our freezer is now stocked full with homemade Italian Sausages already; they’re such a versatile product that can be baked, fried, grilled and used in a multitude of recipes. Check out our sausage stuffing video and check out the recipe found under the Recipes from Euro Kitchen under the Italian tab.