Easter is the perfect time to prepare homemade sausage, which serves as a delicious and healthy alternative to store-bought products. By making it ourselves, we can be sure that what we eat is fully natural and contains no harmful additives. Furthermore, preparing sausage on your own is a tradition that is fading nowadays, yet it is these traditions that shape our identity and connection to our roots.
Table of Contents:
- Where did the tradition of eating white sausage at Easter come from?
- Why is it worth preparing homemade products?
- Recipe for Easter white sausage.
WHERE DID THE TRADITION OF EATING WHITE SAUSAGE AT EASTER COME FROM?
White sausage is one of the traditional dishes served in Poland during Easter. There are various theories regarding the origin of this custom.
One theory suggests that white sausage was consumed as early as the Middle Ages as a Lenten dish that could be eaten during Great Lent.
Another theory suggests that white sausage became popular in Poland due to the influence of German culture. In Germany, a white sausage called "weißwurst" is also served and is one of the symbols of Bavarian cuisine.
Today, white sausage is an essential element of a traditional Easter breakfast in Poland. It is usually served with egg, horseradish, and bread.
WHY IS IT WORTH PREPARING HOMEMADE PRODUCTS?
It is worth making homemade products not only for their exceptional taste and aroma but also for their quality and health benefits. Homemade meat products are free from artificial preservatives, flavor enhancers, and dyes, which is a major plus for our health. Moreover, preparing sausage, cold cuts, or pâtés yourself is great fun and a chance to spend quality time with family and friends.
EASTER WHITE SAUSAGE
To begin preparing homemade sausage, we need a few ingredients and a bit of patience. Here is a recipe for pork and beef sausage that you can easily make yourself at home.
INGREDIENTS:
- 7 kg pork shoulder or lean pork neck
- 2 kg pork jowl or pork belly
- 1 kg beef
- 80 g Kłodawska salt
- 80 g curing salt (peklosól)
- ½ liter warm water
- 40 g crushed garlic
- 20 g coarsely ground black pepper
- approx. 3 tablespoons marjoram
- natural casings
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Carefully separate fat and tendons from the lean meat, cut into cubes, and place in a bowl.
- Cut the pork and beef into cubes and place them in separate bowls.
- Cure the meat: Mix 80 g of Kłodawska salt and 80 g of curing salt, then sprinkle evenly over all types of meat.
- Set aside in a cool place for about 12 hours.
- Grind the lean meat using a 12 mm or 14 mm plate, depending on preference. We recommend using a traditional ALFA meat grinder.
- Grind the fatty meat using a 6 mm plate.
- Combine everything and mix thoroughly – add about ½ liter of warm water.
- Crush about 40 g of garlic (more or less to taste) and add it to the mixture.
- Season: add about 20 g of black pepper (preferably coarsely ground) and approx. 3 tablespoons of marjoram.
- Mix everything very thoroughly by hand or mechanically. It is good to oxygenate the meat by punching the mixed mass with your fist.
- Stuff the natural casings. Tie the beginning and end, and once the mass is inside, twist them into small sausages.
- Raw sausage can be frozen and used traditionally for borscht (Żurek), but it is safest to parboil the whole batch in water at 80°C until the internal temperature reaches 71°C. Water and meat thermometers can be ordered from specialty stores.
- Sausage prepared this way is also suitable for grilling or roasting.
Enjoy!
