I needed Italian sausage for a recipe last week.  I try really hard to buy all natural sausage because the conventional sausage contains preservatives that make me nervous (BHA and BHT).  But I was trying to make just one stop while shopping and the store I was at did not have ANY natural sausages (hello, Wal-Mart! Wake up and give us some options!).  So I put a pack of icky sausages in my cart and moved on.

Then I noticed that the store did have packages of ground pork.  Sausages are made out of pork (or turkey).  So for less money and no preservatives, I picked up a package of ground pork, sure I could make my own.

Making homemade sausage is really super easy.  There are a few ingredients included in every recipe I looked at for Italian sausage: fennel and red wine.   And yes, you only need 2 teaspoons of red wine for one pound of sausage.  I freeze my leftover wine in ice cube trays and use those when I just need a little bit of wine.

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Homemade Bulk Italian Sausage

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Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork (or turkey)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon toasted fennel seeds
• Scant 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Scant 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (omit if you don't want any spice)
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons dry red wine

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together.
2. Let mixture sit for a few hours or overnight.
3. Freeze or cook (in patties or crumbled)