Little bags of mystery
OF ALL the questions you’re not supposed to ask about food, there’s one that stands head and shoulders above the rest – what’s in a sausage?
After all, snags have something of a bad reputation as a vehicle for all manner of unnamed and occasionally unidentifiable offcuts including lips, organs, tails and, well, you do the maths.
Little wonder then that diners of the Victorian period referred to them as little bags of mystery.
Indeed, at certain times in history, sausages were almost completely devoid of meat at all and, instead, were composed of cereals and grains.
During World War I, a lack of available meat meant butchers would take oats, rye or cracked wheat and soak it in salted water, then mix this with the little amount of mince on hand. Alarmingly, these sausages would routinely explode as the high water content reached steam point in the sizzling fat, thus earning them the nickname “bangers”.
Today, however, Australian Food Standards provide at least some guidelines about what can and cannot be put into a sausage.
With specific reference to sausages, the AFS simply asks two things of manufacturers.
Firstly, a sausage must contain at least 50 per cent non-fat meat by weight, and the fat content cannot be more than 50 per cent of the total meat content.
Beyond that, only the more general rules about additives, preservatives and handling, which apply to all foods, come into play.
You should expect that your sausage will contain some amount of cereal or filler, to stabilise if nothing else.
There are a huge range of sausages available. But, if you really want to find a great sausage, find a great butcher.
Hand-blended artisanal recipes are the heart and soul of what the craft of sausage-making is all about.
Luxe sausage rolls with beetroot relish
serves / 4
INGREDIENTS
8 bratwurst sausages
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp black sesame seeds
½ brown onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4cm piece ginger, cut into fine batons 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 large beetroot, peeled and grated ¼ cup white wine vinegar
½ cup caster sugar
Sea salt flakes and freshly-milled black pepper
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200C. Use a small knife to remove the skin from the sausages, then press them together in pairs and roll to form a neat log. Cut each sheet of puff into four squares, then use a small knife to make a series of dash incisions in parallel lines.
2. Brush the pastry with beaten egg, then stretch lightly and wrap around each sausage log, pressing to secure. Place seam side down on a lined baking tray, then brush the outside with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until very crisp. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Saute the onion, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds in olive oil for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the beetroot and cook for a further 10 minutes. Pour in the vinegar and sugar, then boil until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
TODAY AUSTRALIAN FOOD STANDARDS PROVIDE AT LEAST SOME GUIDELINES ABOUT WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE PUT INTO A SAUSAGE.