Lucanian sausages with crisp cavolo nero
SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 30 MINS // COOK 50 MINS (PLUS MARINATING, CHILLING)
“These sausages are rich and full of flavour,” says Grossi. “The Romans used herbs and spices in their cooking quite a bit and the mix here gives these sausages a delicious twist. Kids love these as well.” Start this recipe a day ahead to marinate the meat.
1.25 kg pork shoulder
500 gm pork back-fat (see note) 25 gm flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp marjoram, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp cracked black pepper 1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp colatura di alici
(see note)
2 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
1½ tbsp salt
115 gm pine nuts
1 x 38mm pork sausage casing, soaked overnight in cold water (see note) SAGE CRUMBS
100 ml olive oil
25 sage leaves
100 gm coarse crustless sourdough breadcrumbs CRISP CAVOLO NERO
1 bunch cavolo nero, trimmed
50 ml extra-virgin olive oil 25 ml lemon juice
1 Cut pork and fat into 3cmthick pieces and place on a non-reactive tray. Add herbs, spices, colatura di alici, anchovy and salt, mix well, cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight. 2 Preheat oven to 170°C.
Toast pine nuts on a baking tray in oven until golden brown (8-9 minutes). Cool.
3 Mince the pork mixture through an 8mm plate mincing attachment on a meat mincer into a bowl (ensure pork mixture is very cold). Add pine nuts and, wearing gloves, mix by hand until it starts to feel sticky (10 minutes). Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
4 Flush casing with cold running water. Attach to nozzle of meat mincer with blade or plate removed. Gather casing over nozzle and tie off the end, then fill half the casing with pork mixture, rolling sausage into a coil as you go. Twist sausage, then cut, leaving enough casing at the end of the sausage to tie off. Tie it off, then repeat with remaining casing and filling. Secure sausages crossways through the coil with a metal skewer (or a wooden skewer soaked in water) and refrigerate until required.
5 For sage crumbs, add half the oil to a wide frying pan and heat to 170°C. Add sage and cook until crisp (5-10 seconds). Drain on paper towels. Add remaining oil to pan, add breadcrumbs and stir until crisp (3-4 minutes). Drain on paper towels, then pulse with sage in a food processor to combine. 6 For cavolo nero, preheat oven to 160°C. Toss cavolo nero with oil and lemon juice in a bowl, season to taste and bake on an oven tray lined with baking paper until crisp (10 minutes).
7 Heat a barbecue or a char-grill pan to low-medium heat. Grill sausages, turning occasionally, until golden and firm when gently squeezed (10-15 minutes). Serve with crisp cavolo nero and scattered with sage crumbs. Note Pork back-fat and sausage casing are available to order from butchers.
Colatura di alici, an Italian fermented fish sauce is available online from lario.com.au. If it’s unavailable, substitute another fish sauce to taste.
Wine suggestion A merlot such as Montiano Famiglia Cotarella from Lazio.