FWD Re: SC - Re: Lucanian sausage from Platina

[Philip & Susan Troy]

ChannonM at aol.com wrote:
> 
> We recognize that we have diverted from the original recipe, but man, if you
> ate what we ate, you'd agree that the sausage would be unacceptable at a
> feast. We did postulate that salted, smoked foods such as fish and hams etc
> would have been boiled sometimes numerously to remove salt and reconstitute
> the product. As such we intend on boiling the sausage the day of the feast to
> 1) warm it 2) remove excess salt.
> 
> Our question is, has anyone been working with the Lucanian sausage recipe
> recently, what were your experiences regarding the salt concentration, what
> did you do about it etc.

I just consulted a buncha smoked sausage recipes in Jane Grigson's "The
Art of Making Sausages, Patés, and Other Charcuterie". The general
formula, on the average, seems to call for 1 Tbs salt per pound of meat,
fat, etc., which is a ratio of approximately 1:32. Of course, these may
not be intended to last at somewhat below room temperature for a year,
which is a fairly standard aim for projects of this kind in period. A
smoked sausage in Hugh Plat's "Delightes for Ladies" is supposed,
according to the recipe, to last for a year hanging up in the chimney,
and to be sliced and eaten, among other uses, with salads, and "to make
one relish a cup of wine". Sounds pretty salty to me (although in that
recipe salt quantities aren't specified, IIRC), and while this is
probably saltier than most of us would like, there's the question of
whether any of the salt may be lost to juice drippings in the
smoking/drying process. Ideally these are kept to a minimum, but they do occur.

I think, under the circumstances, you can get a reasonable approximation
of the sausage with a somewhat reduced salt ratio.   

Maybe Puck can put you in touch with Lady Avelina Keyes in his Barony;
she has worked pretty extensively with this recipe.

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com