Italian Sausage

Italian sausage is easy to make.  I find that I can get along fine with loose sausage rather than links which
are more trouble to make.  You can control the amount of fat in the sausage and it's much less expensive
to make your own.  I buy a cheap cut of pork with moderate fat content to make mine.  I don't even look at
the pre-packaged stuff any more.  Way too expensive! Way too much fat!

Ingredients:
One pound (500g) pork sirloin chops or similar
Two big garlic cloves, pressed
One teaspoon (5ml) whole fennel seed
One quarter teaspoon (1.25ml) powdered bay leaf
One quarter teaspoon (1.25ml) salt

Method:
Cut the pork into conveniently sized pieces and grind with a hand grinder into a three-cup (750ml) plastic
food storage container.  I like to pound the fennel seed a bit in my mortar but this is not really necessary.
Mix in the garlic, salt and spices well and refrigerate for a few hours to let the seasoning distribute itself
through the meat.   The uncooked sausage will be fine in the refrigerator for 24 hours and freezes well for
weeks.  Brown the sausage in a skillet using a little oil to prevent sticking or use a non-stick skillet.  I never
had to use oil to brown store-bought Italian sausage because it is so high in fat.  This is one of the pleasant
differences you will find making your own.  The sausage will start out as a single mass; break it up as you
like it.  The browned sausage freezes and stores well or you may use it right away in pasta sauce or on pizza,
et cetera.  After browning, your sausage will look something like this.