Georgian-style breakfast sausage page

[vintageeats]

Hey all!

Long time lurker, first time poster. I wanted to share a recipe that I made today, which turned out fantastically. I've been reading a book on Georgian (the republic, not the state) cuisine and have been pleasantly surprised at how Primal-friendly it is. There's an emphasis on grilled and stewed meats, fruits and veggies, punctuated by interesting herb and spice combinations. Of course, there are also recipes in my cookbook on cheesy bread and all sorts of sugary desserts - I just ignore those :-)

Anyway, I made breakfast sausage for the first time today and it was super easy. There are two components. First is "tkemali", which is a sour plum sauce that binds the meat together in the finished mixture. I'll ask forgiveness in advance, since I don't use recipes religiously - I just consult them and tweak them to use what I already have. That said, I'll try to tell you exactly what I did. For tkemali, you need:

-Around a pound of prunes
-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (more to taste later)
-1/4 c water
-2 tsp coriander
-1 Tbsp fennel
-2 tsp salt

Combine first three ingredients in a pot and put on the stove over low-medium heat. Rehydrate the prunes for 15 minutes or so, watching that they don't burn.

Next, add the mixture to a food processor, along with the spices. Blend into a thick paste. Adjust vinegar and spices according to your taste. Set aside and let cool.

For the sausage, you need:

-1 lb pork shoulder
-1/2 lb pork fat
-1 Tbsp coriander
-1 Tbsp fennel
-2 tsp salt
-Freshly ground pepper
-1 tsp Aleppo pepper (or cayenne)

I used my food processor again to grind the meat and fat together into sausage, but this isn't the optimal way to do things - you don't get a uniform grind. So, if you have a meat grinder, use that. If you don't, hack like I did. Add more or less spice, according to your taste (how the sausage smells is about how it'll taste). When the meat is ground with spices, combine it with the "tkemali" and form into patties. Enjoy! It makes around 12, depending on how big you form them.

[LauraSB]

This sounds delish! I may try it with pre-ground pork, because it may be a while before I get a meat grinder.

[Urban Forager]

This looks tasty. I'm looking for interesting pork recipes as we will be butchering 2 pigs in April. I've been intrigued by Georgian cooking for some time with their interesting spice combinations.

[JoanieL]

Looks terrific! I use my food processor to grind pork, but it's small and it would be tough if I had more than one or two to feed.

Thank you for sharing!

[vintageeats]

This looks tasty. I'm looking for interesting pork recipes as we will be butchering 2 pigs in April. I've been intrigued by Georgian cooking for some time with their interesting spice combinations.

Oh manohmanohman. I wish I had two pigs to butcher in April! That's awesome. Have you been raising livestock for long? I am dreaming of my own little hobby farm.

If you're intrigued by Georgian cuisine, I highly recommend Darra Goldstein's book, The Georgian Feast. She's considered an expert on food from the former Soviet states.

[vintageeats]

JoanieL, you're welcome! I am looking forward to interacting with this community more. There are a lot of great resources here and I hope to be a success story soon!

[josonalico]

it may be a while before I get a meat grinder.