Pork and Beef Sausage with Orange Zest, Coriander, and Chile Flakes
Somewhere in the land space between Asia and Europe, pork became a rare ingredient in cooking. In most of those lands, it was because pork is proscribed for religious reasons. But then there are noticeable exceptions. In Armenia, Georgia, and Greece, pork appears on menus, though never in the exalted number of dishes that it does in the surrounding cuisines of Europe, Southeast Asia, or China. The disparity remains a mystery to me. There is no religious prohibition in these places, and pigs don’t require vast ranges or grasslands to thrive. Indeed, a small pen in the home yard does nicely. Perhaps it is because of the influence of their neighbors. The Armenians, Georgians, and Greeks are Christians, but they are flanked by Muslims and, if contiguous populations don’t insist on warring with one another, they intermingle, which means, most profoundly, they come together at the table. Thus, if you can’t share a pork dish with your neighbors, you might instead choose lamb or beef for a multicultural, convivial affair.
In any case, the Greeks have retained in their repertoire a pork-based sausage that includes a bit of beef and is aromatic with orange zest and coriander and extra zesty with chile flakes. It imports with ease to anywhere such a sausage is wanted.
MAKES 1½ POUNDS
1 pound ground pork
6 ounces ground beef or veal
2 ounces salt pork, fat part only, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chile flakes
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup retsina or dry white vermouth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Place the pork, beef, salt pork, orange zest, coriander, chile flakes, pepper, retsina, and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Cook and taste a small sample, then add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt if needed. Leave in bulk, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to blend.
Sauté or grill, or cook as directed in individual recipes. (The uncooked sausage will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 week.)
Greek Sausage in Pita Sandwiches withCucumber-Mint Yogurt Sauce
Pita is a staple flatbread of casual Middle Eastern cuisine. Sometimes the pita has a pocket, which is opened and filled with delicious ingredients. Sometimes it has no pocket, and is merely folded over to contain the ingredients as best it can. The cooling, refreshing cucumber-laced yogurt sauce, called by many names—
tzatziki
in Greek,
jajik
in Armenian,
cacik
in Turkish,
raita
in Hindi—soothes the heat of a dish and the heat of the day. Following the Greek theme suggested by the sausage, I call for pita without a pocket. I shape the sausage into small balls and grill the balls, their aroma recalling the enticing, smoky scent that wafts from spinning souvlakis (gyros) you find in marketplaces throughout Greece.
SERVES 6
Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup peeled and coarsely chopped cucumber
1 small clove garlic, minced with ½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons shredded fresh mint leaves
Pita Toppings
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups arugula leaves
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into paper-thin rounds
1 cup cooked chickpeas
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound Greek Pork and Beef Sausage , formed into twelve 1¼-inch balls
6 pita breads
To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate until using, or for up for 2 days.
To prepare the pita toppings, combine the tomatoes, basil, and salt in a small bowl and toss to mix. Combine the arugula, bell pepper, chickpeas, feta, and oil in a medium bowl and toss to mix.
Prepare a medium-hot grill.
Place the sausage balls on the grill rack directly over the heat and
Somewhere in the land space between Asia and Europe, pork became a rare ingredient in cooking. In most of those lands, it was because pork is proscribed for religious reasons. But then there are noticeable exceptions. In Armenia, Georgia, and Greece, pork appears on menus, though never in the exalted number of dishes that it does in the surrounding cuisines of Europe, Southeast Asia, or China. The disparity remains a mystery to me. There is no religious prohibition in these places, and pigs don’t require vast ranges or grasslands to thrive. Indeed, a small pen in the home yard does nicely. Perhaps it is because of the influence of their neighbors. The Armenians, Georgians, and Greeks are Christians, but they are flanked by Muslims and, if contiguous populations don’t insist on warring with one another, they intermingle, which means, most profoundly, they come together at the table. Thus, if you can’t share a pork dish with your neighbors, you might instead choose lamb or beef for a multicultural, convivial affair.
In any case, the Greeks have retained in their repertoire a pork-based sausage that includes a bit of beef and is aromatic with orange zest and coriander and extra zesty with chile flakes. It imports with ease to anywhere such a sausage is wanted.
MAKES 1½ POUNDS
1 pound ground pork
6 ounces ground beef or veal
2 ounces salt pork, fat part only, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chile flakes
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup retsina or dry white vermouth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Place the pork, beef, salt pork, orange zest, coriander, chile flakes, pepper, retsina, and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Cook and taste a small sample, then add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt if needed. Leave in bulk, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to blend.
Sauté or grill, or cook as directed in individual recipes. (The uncooked sausage will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 week.)
Greek Sausage in Pita Sandwiches withCucumber-Mint Yogurt Sauce
Pita is a staple flatbread of casual Middle Eastern cuisine. Sometimes the pita has a pocket, which is opened and filled with delicious ingredients. Sometimes it has no pocket, and is merely folded over to contain the ingredients as best it can. The cooling, refreshing cucumber-laced yogurt sauce, called by many names—
tzatziki
in Greek,
jajik
in Armenian,
cacik
in Turkish,
raita
in Hindi—soothes the heat of a dish and the heat of the day. Following the Greek theme suggested by the sausage, I call for pita without a pocket. I shape the sausage into small balls and grill the balls, their aroma recalling the enticing, smoky scent that wafts from spinning souvlakis (gyros) you find in marketplaces throughout Greece.
SERVES 6
Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup peeled and coarsely chopped cucumber
1 small clove garlic, minced with ½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons shredded fresh mint leaves
Pita Toppings
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups arugula leaves
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into paper-thin rounds
1 cup cooked chickpeas
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound Greek Pork and Beef Sausage , formed into twelve 1¼-inch balls
6 pita breads
To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate until using, or for up for 2 days.
To prepare the pita toppings, combine the tomatoes, basil, and salt in a small bowl and toss to mix. Combine the arugula, bell pepper, chickpeas, feta, and oil in a medium bowl and toss to mix.
Prepare a medium-hot grill.
Place the sausage balls on the grill rack directly over the heat and
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