Thai Pork Sausage

Freezes Well

With a little of this sausage in your freezer, you can produce a Thai-flavored dish in no time flat. Stir-fry it with vegetables and a bit of coconut milk and serve over rice or use in fried rice. Or stir-fry, then add chicken stock, rice noodles, diced zucchini, and mushrooms for a quick soup. The sausage is ideal in steamed or fried dumplings as well. Cilantro roots and stems have a more intense flavor than the leaves.

Makes about 4 pounds

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds boneless Boston butt (pork shoulder butt), cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ pound pork fatback, cut into ½-inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped, stems and roots finely chopped (about 2 packed cups)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil or ordinary basil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1½ tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 1½ tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• ¼ cup Asian fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Medium hog casings (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Using a meat grinder fitted with a ⅜-inch plate, coarsely grind the meat and fat into a large bowl or chop coarsely in batches in a food processor.
2. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, and the remaining ingredients (except the casings) and, using clean hands, knead and squeeze the mixture to blend thoroughly. Cook a small patty in a small skillet and taste for salt, pepper, and other seasonings, especially the green curry paste; adjust as necessary.
3. Divide the sausage into 8 portions of about ½ pound each. Or stuff into casings and tie into 5-inch links. Refrigerate for no more than 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months.

ALTERNATIVE CUTS:

• Boneless country-style ribs, boneless country-style ribs cut from the pork shoulder butt, or boneless blade-end pork loin.

COOK’S NOTES:

• You can replace ½ pound of the pork with finely chopped shrimp.