sausage

Sausages

by ladypbwiggins

Oh how I remember the aroma of homemade sausage, homemade biscuits, grits and eggs for breakfast at my great-grandparents home. I also remember the first night I was exposed to the smell of the pig slaughtering. My great-grandfather and his neighbors got together and slaughtered the animals at the same time. It was horrific. They made their own sausages and other meat cuts. As bad as it was it was forgotten that breakfast morn.

Now I am not a meat eater and sausages along with hot links are just fond memories. I have found some meat substitute sausages to be satisfying but they are expensive and fattening. So how do I deal with this dilemma? Make my own of course. I discovered a book while searching for something else on Amazon. It is call The Art of Making Vegetarian Sausage by Stanley and Adam Marianski. The majority of the book explains the science of sausage making. This appeals to my chemistry lab mind. I am reading now to get an understanding of the ingredients. Then I can make educated substitutes for things like egg whites.

Stay tuned.

Making Turkey Sausage

by ladypbwiggins

I have re-entered the laboratory(my kitchen). I have wanted to try this recipe for a long time but always got distracted. Several years ago my husband and I chose to stop eating pork, beef or chicken. Turkey and fish are our meats of choice. I like turkey sausage but you can’t always find a brand that doesn’t taste dry.  Since my husband’s illness we have been on a low sodium eating regimen.There is always the cost to consider. I searched online and found a recipe submitted by Bonnita Wirth.  So here is my experimentation with her recipe.

I did not add chicken broth because I don’t eat chicken. I used olive oil instead. I must say that may not have been a good idea because the salt taste was nonexistent. I suspect Ms. Wirth relied on the broth to add salt.The lean turkey was a little dry that is why I added olive oil.I was very happy with the seasonings.

Ms Wirth’s recipe.

120151026_090130 pound lean ground turkey breast

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

1 minced clove fresh garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp coriander and/or Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning

(sea salt, mustard seed, black peppercorns, coriander, onion, garlic paprika, chili pepper)

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground20151026_090134

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 c chicken broth and other wet ingredients

Add chicken broth and/or other wet ingredients, mixing well.

Let stand 15 to 20 minutes.

Form turkey into 6 to 8 patties, approximately 3/4 inch thick20151026_091752

Cook patties thoroughly on a nonstick surface
20151026_091741

When I repeat the experiment this is what I plan to do.

Replace the chicken broth with either vegetable broth or turkey broth.

Use 85% lean instead of 95% lean ground turkey.

I will try it again. If I am successful then I will try her Italian sausage seasoning. My husband said it sounded like I was going to have a sausage factory.

P.S. To the sausage that I did not cook, I added salt and cooked it the next day. Flavor-wise there was a tremendous taste difference. I will try this again. I like being able to avoid paying for packaging. My next experiment will be using turkey that I ground myself. Gobble, gobble.