[Sca-cooks] Anahita's Adalusian lamb sausage redaction?

[Stefan li Rous]

Anahita said:
> Not to forget the Anonymous 13th Century Adalusian cookbook which
> has at least two, and possible a couple more.
>
> I made one about a year ago - lamb flavored with, among other
> ingredients, lavender, albeit without casings, as it is hard to find
> non-pig casings in small quantities (i found lamb casings for 40-45
> dollars US which i was told was enough for 50 lb of meat - a lot more
> than the 8-15 lb i have made). The recipe is not on my website

Perhaps the one below, which you posted last year, is this recipe?

This will be in my sausage-msg file as soon as this current thread 
comes to an end, and I have a chance to update the file.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****

> Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2004 09:42:07 -0800
> From: lilinah at earthlink.net
> Subject: [Sca-cooks] Merguez, was Caldo Verde, broccoli rabe, and
> 	Saladura
> To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
>
> Angharad wrote:
> > speaking of chorizo.....if anyone has access to north african or, 
> better
> > yet, moroccan butcher/grocer  (Queens in NY is the best bet), try 
> MERGUEZ.
> > These are Moroccan sausages but usually a single long coil.   
> Anyway, they
> > are so delishus!  usually filled with lamb and spices.   you do not 
> boil
> > them.  Anathema!  You grill or fry in shallow oil.  I am sure 
> Anahita has
> > had them.  Have you?
>
> Ironically all those lovely chicken and turkey sausages i buy at the
> market come in *pork* casings. Bruce Aidells makes a "Moroccan"
> chicken sausage - it's not like merguez, but it is nicely spiced and
> has pistachio nuts in it, so it's yummy.
>
> Hey, i could make mirkas and freeze them and eat them on Atkins
> (don't want to get into THAT discussion, let's just say it's
> working), since they don't have bread in them, as some other
> SCA-period sausage recipes do...
>
> Here's the recipe from the Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook
>
> Recipe for Mirkâs (Merguez Sausage)
>
> It is as nutritious as meatballs (banâdiq) and quick to digest, since
> the pounding ripens its and makes it quick to digest, and it is good
> nutrition. First get some meat from the leg or shoulder of a lamb and
> pound it until it becomes like meatballs. Knead it in a bowl, mixing
> in some oil and some murri naqî', pepper, coriander seed, lavender,
> and cinnamon. Then add three quarters as much of fat, which should
> not be pounded, as it would melt while frying, but chopped up with a
> knife or beaten on a cutting board. Using the instrument made for
> stuffing, stuff it in the washed gut, tied with thread to make
> sausages, small or large. Then fry them with some fresh oil, and when
> it is done and browned, make a sauce of vinegar and oil and use it
> while hot. Some people make the sauce with the juice of cilantro and
> mint and some pounded onion. Some cook it in a pot with oil and
> vinegar, some make it râhibi with onion and lots of oil until it is
> fried and browned. It is good whichever of these methods you use.
>
> It appears i did not write down my recipe - at least i didn't put it
> in the computer, and if it was on a bit of paper, it's long gone. So
> the below is just a dissection of the above recipe
>
> INGREDIENTS
>
> -- "meat from the leg or shoulder of a lamb pound it until it becomes 
> like meatballs"
> OK - i went to the halal market and asked them to grind some lamb for
> me. I was serving 12, and it was part of a large number of dishes, so
> i probably got between 3 and 5 lb - probably 5...
>
> -- Olive oil, not more than 1/2 cup
> -- Murri, a couple TB, maybe 1/4 cup, of murri that was gifted me by 
> His Grace
> -- pepper - i might have used white, as the black catches in my 
> throat - 2 tsp-1 TB
> -- coriander seed - ground fresh - 2 TB-1/4 cup (1/4 c. = 4 TB)
> -- lavender - i used dried lavender buds from the health food store - 
> not more than a couple TB
> -- cinnamon - don't remember if i use true cinnamon or cassia - maybe 
> 2 TB (i prefer a subtle, rather than strong, cinnamon flavor)
> -- three quarters as much of fat, chopped not pounded (i assume this 
> quantity is in relation to the meat - i did not add any)
>
> PROCESS
>
> 1. First get some meat from the leg or shoulder of a lamb and pound
> it until it becomes like meatballs.
> I bought ground meat and used it as is. But sometimes i think that
> the meat they would have been much finer in texture from pounding. I
> don't own a meat grinder - would putting it in a food processor (i
> have an old Cuisinart) give it a finer texture?
>
> 2. Knead meat in a bowl, mixing in the oil, murri, pepper, coriander,
> lavender, and cinnamon.
>
> 3. Add fat, chopped up with a knife or beaten on a cutting board, but
> NOT pounded. [i skipped this step]
>
> 4. Stuff meat mixture into well-washed gut casings using the
> instrument made for stuffing, and tie with thread to make sausages,
> small or large.
>
> As explained above i skipped this step. Instead i formed the meat
> into sausage shapes about twice as big as a  "cocktail sausage".
>
> 5. Fry sausages in fresh oil, until cooked through and browned
>
> Before serving i put them into a baking dish and put them into a 350
> oven until they were cooked through but not completely dry - 15 min?
> Because of this treatment, they might have liked having the extra fat
> in them to make them even moister...
>
> 6. Make a sauce and eat with sausages while they are hot. "It is good
> whichever of these methods you use."
>
> -- Sauce Option One
> vinegar and oil
> This may be heated, too, i'm not sure.
>
> -- Sauce Option Two
> juice of cilantro
> mint
> pounded onion
>
> (This is rather like a fresh Indian raita! ...you know, that green
> puree that comes with samosas - except that raita sometimes has
> coconut in it, and usually has green chilis in it, too)
>
> -- Sauce Option Three
> Cook the above in:
> oil
> vinegar
>
> -- Sauce Option Four
> Make it rahibi with:
> onion browned in lots of oil
> I'm not sure if this is added to one of the above options, or just
> sprinkled over the mirkas
>
> Me, i'd go for the pounded cilantro, mint, and onion, cooked in oil
> and vinegar, with a serving of browned onion... But, then, i have my
> moon in Gemini - when faced with a choice, i take one of each.
>
> Anahita