Cotechino Sausage

 

Contechino is an Italian sausage eaten specially on new year's eve, usually with lentils. They are quite hard to buy in the UK, well most places outside Italy really, so I have tried to make my own.

 

300g lean pork fillet

100g pork fat

50g pancetta

4tbsp salt

dash red wine

2 grinds fresh black pepper

1 pinch cinnamon

1 pinch fennel seeds

1 pinch nutmeg

1 pinch garlic powder

natural hog or ewe casing, soaked in water for at least 20 minutes

 

 

 

Roughly chop the pork, pork fat and pancetta so its easier to mince.

 

Mince the pork, fat and pancetta through a mincer with a 5mm plate till finely minced into a bowl.

 

 

 

Add all the other ingredients, except casing, to the bowl of pork mince and mix together to distribute the spices throughout the pork.

 

 

 

Knot or tie off the end of your sausage casing and attach it to your sausage machine.

 

 

 

Stuff the sausages till very thick and plump, around the same thickness as a salami.

 

 

 

Once stuffed, tie off the end and leave out to rest at room temperature for at least 24hrs before cooking.

 

 

 

Remember that cotechino has no preservatives and is not cured so it will keep in the fridge, uncooked, for up to 3 days.