Name: Guy Grossi’s Lucanian sausages with crisp cavolo nero
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 - 6
Ingredients: 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

Guy Grossi’s Lucanian sausages with crisp cavolo nero

Veteran chef Guy Grossi shares his recipe for these rich and gently spiced pork sausages.

Serves 4 - 6

Prep

30M

Cook

50M

Total

1H 20M

“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.

Ingredients

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

Method

1.Cut pork and fat into 3cm-thick 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.

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.
Drink suggestion: A merlot such as Montiano Famiglia Cotarella from Lazio. Drink suggestion by Carlo Grossi.
Notes