Italian sausage is a relatively new item at Turkish deli counters. But the way it gets used differs entirely from other sausages.
What is the spice profile of Italian sausage?
The spice defining this product is fennel seed.
It goes in at 0.5 to 1 percent of the product weight.
Fennel gives a sweetish aroma resembling aniseed.
That is the signature of Italian sausage.
Garlic, black pepper and sea salt join it.
Chilli flakes appear in hot versions.
There lies the difference from a classic Turkish sausage; cumin and red pepper dominate the Turkish one while fennel and garlic come forward in the Italian.
| Use | Per head | Preparation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasta sauce | 80-100 g | Out of casing, browned | 15 minutes |
| On pizza | 60-70 g | Out of casing, raw | In the oven |
| Lasagne | 80 g | Out of casing, browned | With the sauce |
| Risotto | 70 g | Out of casing, browned | 20 minutes |
| Sandwich | 100-120 g | In casing, grilled | 8 minutes |
| Soup | 50 g | Out of casing, in balls | 10 minutes |
Why does the casing come off?
That is the most characteristic difference in how the product gets used.
The casing gets slit from one end with a knife.
The filling comes out by hand.
A seasoned mince remains.
That mince gets broken up and browned in a pan.
The result is a component carrying both the aroma of sausage and the texture of mince.
The product stays whole and gets sliced in uses that keep the casing; that suits sandwiches and the grill but does not give the same distribution in pasta and on pizza.
How does the browning work?
Filling out of its casing behaves like mince.
The same rules apply.
The pan gets heated in advance.
The filling goes in and gets broken up with a spatula.
Water comes out first.
That water evaporates completely.
Browning then begins and the Maillard reaction comes into play; because the product releases its own fat, no extra fat becomes necessary.
Which pasta sauces work?
Three sauces stand out.
The first is tomato-based: browned sausage, canned tomatoes, garlic and basil.
The most classic and widespread combination.
The second is cream-based: sausage, cream, parmesan and black pepper; the fennel aroma goes well with cream.
The third is plain: sausage, olive oil, garlic and pasta water.
The product's own aroma comes forward most clearly in that third build and nothing else covers it.
How is it used on pizza?
The sausage goes onto a pizza raw.
The filling out of its casing gets scattered over the dough in small pieces.
It cooks in the oven.
High heat — two hundred and fifty degrees and above — cooks the filling in five or six minutes.
The fat that runs out passes into the cheese and the dough.
That brings a clear aroma to the pizza.
Pre-browned sausage can be used too, though most of the fat then stays in the pan and the pizza comes out drier.
Which vegetables pair with it?
The fennel aroma goes better with particular vegetables.
Red and yellow peppers; their sweetness suits fennel.
Red onion; its sharpness cuts the fat of the sausage.
Mushrooms; their earthy note balances against fennel.
Spinach; it works well in cream-based sauces.
Courgette and aubergine get used too.
Very wet vegetables beyond tomato get avoided; the sausage already releases fat and excess water spoils the consistency of the sauce.
How is Italian sausage used in a sandwich?
The product keeps its casing in a sandwich.
The whole sausage cooks on a grill or in a pan.
The surface browns and the casing crackles.
The bread gets split lengthwise.
The sausage goes inside.
Fried peppers and onions go on top.
That is the classic sandwich of Italian-American cooking; no mustard or ketchup goes on, since the seasoning of the sausage provides enough flavour.
How is an Italian sausage portion calculated?
Eighty to a hundred grams of sausage per head in a pasta sauce.
That means one sausage.
Sixty to seventy grams on pizza; a hundred and fifty in total for a medium pizza.
A hundred to a hundred and twenty in a sandwich; one whole sausage.
Fifty grams in soup, shaped into small balls.
The product is fatty; 25 to 30 grams of fat per hundred.
Portion control therefore matters; some of the fat can get drained when making a sauce and the plate lightens.
How is Italian sausage stored?
Fresh Italian sausage is an uncured product.
It keeps two or three days in a fridge.
That is far shorter than dry salami or sucuk.
It keeps three months in a freezer.
It gets frozen in portions; one sausage is one portion.
Thawing happens in a fridge.
Where the filling gets frozen out of its casing it goes into portions wrapped in film; that shortens the thawing and it can go straight into a pan.
What gets checked on an Italian sausage label?
Three pieces of information decide.
Meat content comes first; a good product carries more than 85 percent.
The second is a declaration of fennel; fennel seed should appear in the ingredients list, or the product does not count as Italian-style.
The third is preservatives; the use of nitrite is limited in a fresh sausage.
Whether the product is fresh or cured gets checked too.
Fresh product cannot be eaten without cooking; cured versions can be sliced and eaten directly, and that distinction appears clearly on the label.
How is it used in lasagne and risotto?
Both dishes require the sausage out of its casing.
In lasagne the sausage goes into the tomato sauce already browned.
It disperses between the layers of sauce and carries aroma into each one.
Eighty grams per head suffices.
In risotto the sausage browns before the rice.
The onion and rice then fry in the fat it releases.
That order lets the fennel aroma reach every grain, and the dish does not stay one-dimensional.
