"Food of Love" part 2

2 new sausage recipes and these might be even better than the first one!

Cilanto Spiced Sausage

2 1/2 lb of ground pork

1/4 cup dried minced onion

1 Tbsp dried minced garlilc

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp freshly ground pepper

1 bunch of fresh cilantro

Mix all powders together. Finely chop cilantro or chop in food processor stalks and all. Mix pork, powders, and cilantro. Regrind mixture if using a meat grinder. Fry up a small patty to check flavor and spiciness. The flavor will intensify over time. Divide into 1/2 pound packages or stuff into casings, then freeze. Let stand in freezer for atleast a week.

Apple Pecan Sausage

2 1/2 lbs ground pork

1 large apple cut into 1/4" cubes

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground clove

2 pinches salt

Cut apple into 1/4" cubes, smaller if you are not using a meat grinder. Mix pork and apple together. Add pecans, spices, and salt. Regrind mixture if using a meat grinder. Fry up a small patty to check flavor. Package as above.

If you like or love these recipes they are mine.  If however, you do not, well then they are Curt's recipes.  Enjoy and please tell us what you think! 

Homemade sausage or "Food of Love"

I truly believe that homemade foods taste better because in the words of Curt "you can taste the love".  That is only one of the reasons we started making our own sausage.  With prices being what they are sausage didn't always fit in the budget and it was missed.  After lots of trial and error we have gotten pretty darn good at it.  Yesterday we came up with a new recipe and our niece came over to learn how to make sausage.  We had a good time and she was a great helper.  I should have taken pictures. 

Sundried Tomato Italian Parmesan Sausage

2 1/2 lbs of fresh ground pork
1/4 cup ground sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup good Italian seasoning
1/8 cup of good grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp roasted red pepper and garlic seasoning
2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Combine all your seasonings together and stir well.  Sprinkle over your ground pork and work in with your hands.  After it seems to be mixed in I run it through the meat grinder one more time it seems to combine it more evenly.  Now comes the best part.  Make a small patty with the sausage and cook it up and taste it.  If you are happy with the taste you can either shape your sausage or bag it up in bulk.  If you feel it needs more seasoning then reseason but remember even in the freezer the flavor will continue to intensify.

This is a great sausage and has tons of flavor.  I shaped it into fairly large links and plan to serve them grilled on some whole grain rolls. 

Enjoy and please tell me what you think!

** A note on grinding your own meat.  I know some of you might be intimidated by the idea but it really is a money saver and it is very satisfying.  If you have a Kitchen Aid they sell a great attachment but you can also get a manual grinder for a very reasonable price.  It is a great tool to have around.  Having a meat grinder allows me to purchase meats on sale and make my own ground beef and sausage for a fraction of the cost.  If you have no interest in grinding your own meat you can purchase pre ground pork and after adding the seasoning just work it in more so that the flavors are evenly distributed.