Before we go any further in this blogging process, let me just state for the record, that any recipes given here, unless noted otherwise, most likely came from Susan, dear Susan, the Guru of All Things Homestead. She has been my Fairy Goatmother, mentor, and friend. She produces amazing things on her homestead, and is constantly experimenting and studying up to find the best way to.....well....do anything having to do with living a self-sustaining lifestyle. She has taught me much, and is always my first phone call after i have done everything i know to do and still haven't figured it out. We are "sister herds," Susan running predominantly Goldthwaite bloodlines while i run the Kastdemur line, with a common goal of producing a first class homestead milker (high milk production, "easy to use" udders, and disease / parasite resistant animals) under her Queenacres brand. So, hat's off to Susan , dear Susan, folks. I luvs ya, sister!
By Request
Have had a request for the lamb sausage recipe.
Guess where the recipe came from.
Yup. This is the recipe that Susan uses to make her pork sausage. I am gonna give it to you just like she gave it to me, so you get to play with it and adjust according to your personal taste and the type of meat you are using. Example: for the lamb, and my family, i used less cayenne and more ginger, clove and mace.
Here is the interesting thing about sausage. You can make it from just about any kind of meat. For years, i had a meat grinder attachment that i never used because i just didn't get this. What a waste! When Susan taught me to make sausage, we used a tough old rooster that we had just put out of our misery (he was mean, and no one was sorry to see him on the table) mixed with some brisket for fat content. It was amazing! And every time we fried it up and took a bite, the kids said, "Take that!" and "That's what you get for spurring me one too many times!"
When brisket goes on sale i buy a few for the freezer, then have them for sausage making as needed. I haven't taken the time to try it yet, but bet you can do this on a small scale in a food processor, if you don't have a grinder. Be not afraid. Be Bold. Experiment, you are not gonna screw it up.
And TRUST ME,
this stuff is gonna make you wanna
throw rocks at Jimmy Dean.
SUSAN'S PERFECT HOMEMADE SAUSAGE
22# ground pork and fat (about 70/30)
7T sea salt
1c rubbed sage
1t each: paprika
cayenne
ground clove
ground ginger
ground thyme
savory
mace
nutmeg
black pepper
Cut meat and fat into cubes, chill for at least an hour. Sprinkle seasoning over meat cubes then grind wit a coarse plate. Make a patty and fry it up to check seasoning. Make any adjustments in seasoning and run through the grinder a second time.
On the subject of cooking lamb, let me also suggest a couple of cookbooks Susan turned me on to. First of all, if you can look at the picture of Mable Hoffman on the back of her 1975 Crockery Cookery and not feel instantly comforted and have absolute faith in every recipe in the book, i just don't know how to help you. For heaven's sake, the woman has an entire cookbook devoted completely to peanut butter, and another with nothing but cookies. Need i say more??!!!??? You can have Julia and Paula.* MY heart belongs to Mable.
Another book of interest is The Progressive Farmer's 1967 Favorite Recipes From Southern Kitchens MEATS including Seafood and Poultry. I have had very good luck with the lamb recipes from this book, and there is also a good venison chapter. I have not yet cooked from the Variety Meats section of this book, but if i am ever hungry enough to eat squirrel or oxtail, i know where to find a recipe.
Bon Appetit, y'all!!
*We don't have TV at my house, so i stay pretty out of the loop when it comes to pop culture and current trends. Several years ago, my dad, who is an excellent cook, started sharing recipes and techniques every now and then from "My good friend, Paul Adeen." I kept thinking, "i gotta meet this guy, this stuff is good!" Until one day, about a year ago, standing at the checkout counter at the grocery store, i see big white hair and diamonds on the front of a food magazine. And suddenly realize that there is no such person as Paul Adeen, and that my dad may need to get out more.
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