According to the food dictionary at Epicurious.com, "What started out simply as a means of using and preserving all of the animal trimmings has turned into the art of sausage-making.

"Simply put," the entry continues, "sausage is ground meat mixed with fat, salt and other seasonings, preservatives and sometimes fillers ... packed into a casing."

It was one of those "other seasonings" that got Richard Faller started on making his own sausages.

"I bought some store-made Italian sausage at (a local market)," Faller said, "and it was sugar-sweet, like lollipops." When he returned to the meat counter to complain, the manager explained that the store added fructose to their mix.

When he insisted that the sweetener gave the sausages the wrong taste, the man suggested — nicely, Faller insisted — that he make his own so that he could control what goes into them.

That simple suggestion opened the door to a passionate involvement in sausage-making — a craft Faller, along with fellow enthusiast Jean Lamuniere, will share at a workshop at the cooking school at Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe on Saturday.

Faller not only loves to eat sausages — he loves to make them, too, and has taught this class four or five times in the past, he said. "It's always a lot of fun," he said, with people in the class pitching right in to grind and season the meat, stuff the links and smoke the sausages.

The part of the class folks find most daunting, he said, is stuffing the meat into the natural casings — made from the collagen-rich submucosa layer of animal — generally pig — intestines. "Some people took the class twice before they got up the courage to do it at home," he laughed. "It's the hardest part of sausage-making to overcome."

Although he started off using a hand grinder, Faller soon switched to an electric grinder — freestanding or as an attachment to his Kitchen Aide mixer — and that's what he uses in the class. Meat grinders all come with sausage stuffing tubes these days, he said.

In addition to grinding the meat, seasoning it and stuffing the casings, and smoking the sausages, the class also addresses such things as the best kinds of meats to use, how much fat to add and where to buy the casings in Santa Fe and over the Internet. Participants will make two or three different varieties of sausage in class, and take home recipes for others to keep the momentum going.

The class also includes at least one recipe for which sausage is a major component. "Since it's close to Thanksgiving," Faller said, "this time we'll make a sausage dressing."

Home cooks will have to attend the class to get the kind of hands-on experience they need to overcome any latent fear of sausage-stuffing. But Faller has generously shared his recipe for Bourbon-Cranberry Relish, a perfect accompaniment to sausage-based holiday stuffing of another sort.

CRANBERRY-BOURBON RELISH
(Makes 3 cups, serving 10-12)

1 cup bourbon
1/4 cup minced shallots
Grated zest of one orange
One 12-ounce package fresh cranberries, picked over
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a small, nonreactive saucepan, combine the bourbon, shallots, and orange zest. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the bourbon is reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 10 minutes.

Add the cranberries and sugar, stirring well until the sugar dissolves. Lower the heat slightly and simmer, uncovered, until most of the cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes longer.

Remove from the heat and stir in the pepper. Transfer to a bowl, let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.



WHAT: Sausage-Making Workshop with Richard Faller and Jean Lamuniere. Learn how to grind, season, stuff and smoke a variety of the savory links. Additional recipes provided; a 10-percent discount on related equipment and spices is offered the day of the class.
WHEN: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22
WHERE: The cooking school at Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe, DeVargas Center
PRICE: $75 per person
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Call 988-3394