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Meat Lovers

Sausages

Garnish
2 small leeks, cleaned
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 medium onion, peeled
1/4 cup parsley leaves
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 lemon
2.2kg organic chicken leg meat

Farce (Forcemeat)
1kg finely ground organic chicken breast
1 teaspoon celtic salt
1/2 cup crushed ice
Pastry bag fitted with No. 8 tip
Pre-soaked sausage casings

To make garnish, cut off most of the green portion of the leek and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes until tender. Drain and squeeze out any excess moisture. Chop into small (1/4-inch) dice.

Peel, core and chop apple into small (1/4-inch) dice. Cut the onion into small (1/4-inch) dice and chop the parsley.

Heat oil in a heavy sauté pan over moderate heat. When oil is hot, add the leeks, apples, onions and parsley. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the apple/vegetable garnish to a bowl and refrigerate.

To make farce, place the ground chicken, salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process for 30 seconds.

With motor running, drop in the crushed ice and continue to process for 1 to 2 minutes or until combined. (Crushed ice, a substitute for fat which is traditionally added at this point, will lighten the texture of the sausage.) Transfer the farce to a bowl and refrigerate.

To assemble sausage, cut the chicken leg meat into small (1/4 inch) cubes. Remove zest from lemon in strips. (You should have 1 to 2 teaspoons.) Combine chilled farce, chilled apple/vegetable garnish and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the cubed chicken meat, folding to combine.

Tie a knot at one end of the pre-soaked casing. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a No. 8 plain tip. Pipe mixture into the casing and knot the other end.

Using your thumb and forefinger, squeeze the sausage every 3 or 4 inches to separate the mixture. Twist at those points to make individual sausage lengths.

Poach sausages in a pan of water (about 160 degrees F) for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove, drain and transfer to a 350 F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned. (Or, sauté over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned.)
About 4 servings

Sausage casings
If you don't have access to natural casings or just don't want to use them but still want links, you can make casings from strips of muslin. To form casings about 1-1/2 inches in diameter, cut strips about 6 inches wide and 16 inches long. Fold lengthwise and stitch edges together to form tubes. If you don't use casings at all, you can still form links by rolling up the mixture in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerating until firm. The uncased method of links needs a binder (bread crumbs, etc.) in the sausage mix, normally 5 to 10 percent of the mix, to keep the meat from separating during cooking