Sausage is a variety of mixed meats stuffed in some kind of a casing. Probable description, but not necessarily a true one. You see, the world of sausages is a huge one! Sausages come in a cornucopia of different styles. Not only meat, but they can also be made from fish, tofu, nuts, blood, or grains, they can come without casings, prepared in tin cans and jars, they can be fermented. They can be even of square form! The latter version is also known as Lorne or slice sausage. It’s a type of traditional Scottish food made from minced meat (a mixture of pork and beef), hard dry bread (that is called rusk in English) and spices, tightly packed into a rectangular tin mould that holds everything in place. Then it goes into a freezer. When hard enough to handle, the mould and the meat are taken out and the meat is sliced and fried on a pan. And if you say ‘hey, this looks like meatloaf!’, we’ll just look away.
The recipe is quite simple as you can see. All you need to do is to prepare a loaf tin lined with plastic wrap. Then go ahead and mix 450 gr / 1 lb of ground beef, 450 gr / 1 lb of ground pork, 1 ½ cups of breadcrumbs, ¾ cup of water with 2 tsp of salt, 2 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of nutmeg, ½ tsp of ground black pepper. Using a large spoon or your hands (the best kitchen appliance so far), mix all the ingredients until fully combined. When done, continue for a few more minutes for extra smoothness. Then transfer the mixture into a loaf tin, press down firmly. You want a solid block with no air gaps. When it’s tight, fold the plastic wrap over and get it to the freezer for 3 hours. You want the meat to become firm enough to cut through, but not rock solid. Take out of the freezer and put it on a cutting board. Loosen the plastic wrap, cut some slices. Put them into a fridge and keep the rest of the mixture frozen in a tin.
Now get ready to cook the Lorne sausage. Take out your favourite pan, pour in some olive oil or toss in some bacon fat, let it heat over medium-high heat, and fry the sausage on both sides. Usually, this stunning delicacy is served as a part of full Scottish breakfast. It also includes fried tomatoes, eggs, and bacon, buttered toast, some beans, potato scones and the king of the party – black pudding. It’s a type of blood sausage (yes, Scottish breakfast implies eating one sausage with another sausage which is absolutely awesome) made with oatmeal, pork fat or beef suet, spices, milk and blood. It has a taste that needs to be acquired, strong metallic aftertaste may steer you away, but this dish is often supposed to be the oldest known form of sausage. And surely many people consider it the true delicacy.
What do you think?