This Italian fennel sausage with chilli recipe comes from an inspirational trip to Sicily where we were spoilt with good food but this sausage stood out above everything else. So we asked for the recipe and the chef was only too kind in giving us this for you to try at home.
Fennel and chilli have long been an Italian food combo that is used in Pasta, Ragus and even Pizzas. The initial hit of chilli works in tangent with the fennel which beautifully freshens up every bite.
What makes this great homemade Italian fennel sausage recipe is that the list of ingredients is really simple.
INGREDIENTS
1000g Pork Scotch Fillet (Marbled Pork Shoulder)
600g Pork Rashers Skin Removed (Pork Belly or Bacon)
2.5tbsp Salt
2.5tbsp Fennel Seeds
145ml Red Wine
2 teaspoons of Crushed Chilli Flakes
Natural Hog Casings
METHOD
1. Presoak your casings preferably overnight.
2. Roughly chop the scotch fillet and the rashers into inch-thick dice of meat.
3. Grind the scotch fillet and the rashers using a 6mm plate.
4. Put the ground meat in a bowl. Add the salt, wine, fennel seeds, and chilli and knead well. This will help bind the proteins to bring the meat and all those flavours together.
5. Pack the meat tightly into the sausage stuffer ensuring no air bubbles are formed. Stuff the sausage meat into the natural casings and tie it off.
6. Rest the sausages in the fridge overnight before cooking (or freezing) them.
7. Serve in a pasta dish or as is with vegetables.
Weschenfelder Top Tip: You could substitute the rashers for guanciale or pancetta.