Loukaniko Food

GREEK LOUKANIKO SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Chop your pork and lamb into rough chunks. Mix in the salt, curing salt (if using) and sugar and grind through a coarse die on your grinder. Put this in the fridge overnight if possible or for at least an hour. The step helps the sausage bind to itself when you stuff it.
• Set aside 1/2 of the coriander, black pepper and fennel seeds in a small bowl. Soak your hog casings in warm water. Put the wine in the fridge. Make sure all your grinding gear is cold.
• Mix the remaining spices with the meat and fat and grind the meat a second time into a bowl. You can grind coarse again or go fine. Your choice. I do half-and-half. Set the bowl for the meat into another bowl full of ice if your room is warmer than 70ºF. Once it's ground, put the meat in the freezer and clean up.
• Get out your stand mixer and find the heavy paddle to it (not the dough hook). If you don't have one, put the meat mixture in a large bin so you can mix it by hand. Add the orange zest, reserved spices and the wine and mix the sausage well for 2 minutes, or until it forms a sticky, cohesive paste. If you are doing this with your hands, they should ache from the cold.
• Get out your sausage stuffer, which if you've been smart has been living in your fridge or freezer for the past few hours. Fit it with the appropriate tube and stuff the sausage. Do it all at once before you twist it into links.
• To twist into links, start at one end and compress the meat into the casing, then tie off the casing. Measure out a good-sized link, then pinch with your fingers. Do the same another good-sized link down the coil. Once you have them both pinched, twist several times to tighten the link well. Repeat on down the line of the coil, then tie off the final link after compressing it, too. (Here is a quick video on twisting sausage links.)
• Once you've finished, hang the links so your twisting does not come undone, or tie off each link with string. Use the needle to prick any air pockets, and compress the meat in the casing to fill those pockets; be careful or you can rupture the casing if you do this too roughly.
• Hang your sausages to dry for about 2 hours in a normal room, only 1 hour if the room is warmer than 75ºF. Ideally, you hang the links overnight at about 40ºF.

GREEK SAUSAGE OR LOUKANIKO

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients.
• Roll meat mixture into quarter size balls, and bake or broil for 15 - 20 minutes depending on your oven.
• Drain meat balls on a paper towel before serving or adding them to your favorite sauce.

LOUKANIKA SAUSAGE WITH EGGS AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil, on medium high heat, in a non-stick pan, add the sausage and saute quickly to render juices. Add the chopped onions and cook until translucent. Once the onions are cooked, add garlic, oregano and tomatoes and cook slowly for 5 minutes. Add the beaten eggs to the pan, and toss in scallions and begin folding together slowly with a rubber spatula. When well blended, season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

GREEK PORK SAUSAGE WITH ORANGE PEEL (LOUKANIKA)

Steps:

• Combine pork shoulder, fat back, and remaining ingredients, except casings, in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate several hours.
• Rinse casings thoroughly in lukewarm water. Tie one end of a casing and stuff by pushing meat through a funnel inserted in the untied end; tie other end. Continue until all the meat and casings have been used.
• Poach sausages in boiling water for 1 hour. Cool. Cut into slices and fry in a skillet until browned.
• Note: If desired, omit casing, form sausage into patties, and fry until cooked.
• Culinary Arts Institute Greek Cookbook.