In the land of Oz, the grass is always green. Soft rain falls and the breeze blows free. The air is sweet; the hens are happy and a newborn calf rests on a bed of straw. I always find peace here behind fern covered stonewalls, and I’m blessed with a place here in a quiet and friendly house on a farm of dreams.
I can work along with a clan that accepts me as if I belong and our larders are filled with the world’s best food. We teach, we cook, we share stories; we build community. It’s a Cookery School, an organic farm and dairy; a food production kitchen. It’s related to a country house hotel and restaurant; it has become a brand—it’s Ballymaloe- the best of Ireland’s welcome.
Some folks would say it’s a dream I’d dreamed when I walked on that misty shore. But I reminisce about friends I’ve made, oysters eaten and daisies I’ve picked on a headland cliff until life takes me there once more.
With Paddy’s Day on the horizon next week, it’s time for me to reach into my Irish collection. A few weeks ago I ate a delicious sausage roll filled with homemade seasoned pork from the Ballymaloe Cookery School market kitchen and thought that’s it—Homemade Irish Sausage! Often we look at commercial sausage and as tempting as it may be, we wonder what’s really in it? To end the quandary, it’s simple enough to mix your own. Start with good ground pork from a reliable producer, preferably a local farm, add seasonings you know you’ll like, mixing in some soft breadcrumbs and egg to keep it moist and in just a few minutes, you’ll have a delicious sausage to use for breakfast, supper or meals between.
It’s vital that the breadcrumbs are fresh, moist crumbs, not dry breadcrumbs, definitely not panko. To make fresh crumbs, dice a few slices of bread and whiz them in a food processor until they form light crumbs. You can use sandwich bread, bread rolls, pita bread or any bits that have gone a bit stale but are still soft. Freeze extra in a plastic bag to have on hand for meatballs, meat loaf or crumb breading. Fresh herbs are preferable (I had to shake the snow off of my thyme and sage) but dry herbs and fresh parsley may be used as well.
Enjoy a simple Irish supper with fresh sausage patties, applesauce, buttered cabbage or peas and steamed potatoes. A glass of Harp or Murphy’s along the way will make Saint Paddy’s Day a celebration.
Homemade Irish Sausage
Interpreted from The Ballymaloe Cookbook by Myrtle Allen
1 lb. ground pork, not too lean
1 scant cup fresh bread crumbs (2 ½ oz.)
1 egg
1 clove garlic
1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 generous tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs
(thyme, sage, rosemary, parsley) or 1 teaspoon mixed dry herbs
Mash the peeled garlic to a paste with salt; whisk the paste into the egg and combine all the ingredients mixing well with your hands. If time permits, wrap the sausage and allow the seasonings to mingle for a few hours in the fridge.
Shape the sausage into 2 oz. patties and fry in a hot skillet slicked with a little olive oil and butter for 2-3 minutes a side or until nicely browned and cooked through. (To test for doneness, insert a metal cake tester or thin skewer sideways into a sausage, count to 10, remove and place the tester on your inner wrist. If it’s HOT the sausage is cooked. Remove patties to a platter, deglaze the frying pan with a little stock or water and pour the syrupy juices over the sausages. Serves 4-6.
Mary Jo's Kitchen 