Loukanikostew Recipes

FASSOLADA ME LOUKANIKO (STEWED BEANS WITH SAUSAGE)

Steps:

• Soak the beans in water from the previous night.
• Drain the water and put the beans in a pot with fresh water.
• Boil for a while and remove any froth which arises.
• Drain once again. Add fresh water and cook until slightly soft, about half an hour. Drain and set aside.
• After wiping the pot to dry, heat the olive oil in the same pot and sauté the onion until translucent.
• Then add the chopped sausage and sauté stirring it a few times.
• Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds, until fragrant.
• Add the carrots, potato and celery and stir.
• Add the bay leaf, chili pepper, (tomato paste) and season with salt and pepper. After stirring, add the beans as well as the fresh tomato and enough water to cover the beans.
• Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover the pot and simmer for about an hour, stirring regularly, or until the beans and carrots are soft and the sauce thickens.
• Just before the end, discard the bay leaf.
• You can add some parsley if you like, stir and turn off the heat.
• Serve with toasted bread with a drizzle of olive oil on top!

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.

LOUKOUMADES

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. In a large bowl, mix the warm milk, sugar, and salt, and mix to dissolve. Pour the yeast mixture into the milk mixture, and stir to combine.
• Beat in the butter, eggs, and flour until the mixture forms a smooth, soft dough. Cover the bowl, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Stir the dough well, cover, and let rise 30 more minutes.
• Mix honey and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the honey syrup cool.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil should be about 2 inches deep.
• Place a large table or soup spoon in a glass of water near the batter. Scoop up about 2 tablespoons of dough per puff with the wet spoon, drop it into the wet palm of your hand, and roll it back into the spoon to create a round shape. Do not overhandle the puffy, soft dough. Drop the dough balls into the hot oil in batches, wetting the spoon each time you make a dough ball. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown on the bottom, and roll them over to cook the other side, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Gently set the loukoumades aside to drain on paper towels.
• Place the loukoumades on a baking sheet, drizzle them with honey syrup, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm.

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.