Greek Lamb Sausage Recipes

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.

LAMB SAUSAGE

Steps:

• To make the poaching liquid: In a shallow 3-quart pot, add all ingredients. Bring to a simmer.
• To make the lamb sausage: Mix all ingredients except bread crumbs in a large bowl; add 1 to 2 cups bread crumbs until mixture can form a shape without sticking to your hands. Cut cellophane into 8 by 8-inch squares. Place 2 tablespoons of mixture in a tube shape and roll into cellophane, twisting the ends like a tootsie roll for a tight sausage shape. Test 1 sausage in boiling poaching liquid for approximately 20 minutes before cooking all sausages. Let cool in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Slice sausage to check consistency, if it falls apart, add more bread crumbs to mixture.

GYRO SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Coarsely grind chicken and bacon through a meat grinder, then add salt, black pepper, basil, ground oregano, dried oregano and thyme to meat mixture. Put the meat mixture through the grinder a second time.
• Fold in powdered milk, beer, feta, olive brine and baby spinach by hand. Stuff into synthetic casings to make 10 sausages.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Roast sausages until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, about 12 minutes.
• Serve on Greek pita bread with shredded lettuce, red onion, chopped tomatoes, feta crumbles and Tzatziki Sauce.
• Stir together yogurt, lemon zest and juice, oil, mint, dill, garlic, cucumber and some salt and pepper in a medium bowl, then place in refrigerator for 8 hours or up to overnight.

GREEK SAUSAGE: SHEFTALIA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the ground pork, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Fill a bowl with warm water, and add the vinegar. Dip the caul fat into the water, and keep submerged for 1 minute to wash. Rinse in cold water. Carefully open up the caul fat on a clean work surface, and cut into 4 inch (10 cm) squares.
• Place a small compressed handful of the sausage near the edge of one square. Fold the sides over, and roll up firmly. Repeat with remaining meat and fat until you have about 10 sausages.
• Prepare a charcoal grill for high heat. Place sausages onto skewers.
• Grill the sausages for 20 minutes, turning frequently until the outside is crispy and dark, and the inside is no longer pink.

LAMB SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cut lamb and pork fat into 1" chunks. Toss with all remaining ingredients except wine and refrigerate for 12 hours. Spread on a tray and freeze for 1 hour until meat is partially, but not completely, frozen. Chill meat grinder and bowl for 1 hour in fridge.
• Grind using a 1/8th inch die. Add reduced wine, and stir to mix. Stuff into medium pork casings.
• Sausage is really easy to make, especially if you have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Get the grinding and stuffing attachments.

GREEK SAUSAGE PITAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Wrap pita breads in foil; warm in oven while preparing toppings., In a small bowl, mix yogurt, green onions, parsley, lemon juice and garlic. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles., To assemble, spoon sausage over pitas. Top with cucumber, tomato and yogurt mixture; sprinkle with additional parsley.

GREEK LAMB PATTIES

Steps:

• Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl.
• Add ground lamb and mix well.
• Divide into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into 1/2 inch thick patty.
• Heat skillet on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil.
• Add patties and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until no longer pink inside.

LAMB SAUSAGE PATTIES WITH FRESH MINT, FETA, AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Place lamb in large bowl. Sprinkle garlic and salt over. Gently toss lamb to blend. Combine feta and mint in small bowl.
• Divide lamb into 12 equal mounds. Using damp hands, shape each into ball. Working with 1 ball at a time, poke thumb into center to make hole. Press 1 teaspoon feta-mint filling into hole. Pinch hole closed, then press ball between palms to flatten into 3/4-inch-thick disk. Repeat with remaining lamb and feta-mint filling. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate.
• Preheat oven to 250°F. Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, cook lamb sausages until browned on both sides and cooked to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium. Transfer sausages to rimmed baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm. Serve hot.