This Sunday I’m hosting the second-ever Soup Sundays event where a group of Food Advocate folks hang out and keep each other company while making a big pot of something delicious. (You can come, too! Just sign up for my New Things email list and you’ll get all the info. Sign up form here.)
And this week’s recipe calls for kielbasa sausage.
Sausage! One of my favorite things to make at home!
Here are my top reasons for loving sausage-making:
1. Sausage is basically just a seasoned meat. It brings a big punch of flavor to a dish.
2. Homemade sausage has only ingredients I choose. No weird additives, fillers, or mystery meats.
3. I get to control the spiciness (or not), the saltiness, the garlickiness. Well, you get the idea.
4. I don’t need a fancy meat grinder or smoker or any contraptions at all. Of course, if I ever move into a house, I will totally dive into Michael Ruhlman’s book, Charcuterie (Amazon affiliate link), and start processing various meats and sausages. But for now, I can adequately duplicate the flavor profile by combining the right balance of spices to pre-ground pork.
5. It’s easy! Especially if I make a big batch of the spice blend and keep it around for the next time I want to make sausage.
So my point is that making the kielbasa sausage from scratch gives me the benefit of the flavors of the sausage without having to compromise on quality or ingredient control.
For this Sunday’s recipe, I’m going to use this recipe for the inspiration for my kielbasa sausage. Note, I haven’t tried this recipe yet… and because I’m not smoking the sausage or putting it in casings, there will be some serious modifications. Based on the herbs and spices involved, I have a feeling it will be delicious, but when seasoning ground pork, I highly recommend following the recipe and then frying up a teaspoon or so to see if the flavor profile matches what you were expecting – at least in terms of saltiness and heat. That way you can adjust the seasonings before adding the sausage to whatever dish you’re cooking.
Here are my modifications. I have included spice quantities for both one pound of sausage (needed for the January 15th Soup Sunday recipe) and the full five pounds as indicated in the original recipe, in case you want to mix a big batch of the spice blend for later.
Kielbasa Sausage Spice Blend
(One pound) 5 pounds ground pork
Combine the following spices. Incorporate the spice blend into the ground pork by hand.
(1/2 tsp) 1 tbs garlic, chopped if fresh
(1/2 tsp) 1 tbs ground black pepper
(1/2 tsp) 1tbs fine sea salt (table salt would be fine in a pinch)
(1 tsp) 1 tbs sugar
(1 tsp) 2 tbs paprika
(1/4 tsp) 1 tsp ground celery seed (I might omit this)
(1/4 tsp) 1 tsp marjoram
(1/8 tsp) 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
(1/8 tsp) 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
(1/8 tsp) 1/2 tsp dried thyme
I’m going to start by making enough seasoning for one pound of sausage. If I end up really liking this recipe, I’ll probably make the full batch for five pounds. When I make the big batch, I’ll omit the fresh garlic from the mixture. That is something I can add fresh when I make the sausage using the spice mix.
If you end up trying this spice blend, I’d love for you to leave a comment on the results. I’ll be updating this post as well once I try out the recipe myself.
And in case you missed the link before, sign up for my New Things email list and get all of the details about joining us for the next Soup Sundays adventure this weekend!
