Mazzafegati, Italian Liver Sausage

Name: Mazzafegati, Italian Liver Sausage
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 20 links
Ingredients: 1 pound pork liver; 1 pound pork fat; 3 pounds pork shoulder; 36 grams kosher salt; 55 grams pine nuts; 30 grams sugar; 15 grams ground coriander seed; 5 garlic cloves; 5 grams Black pepper; Zest from 3 tangerines or oranges; 1/2 cup sweet white wine; Hog casings

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4.9

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Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings
20 links
Calories
330 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian

Mazzafegati, Italian Liver Sausage

Elizabeth Hodge

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This is what to do when life gives you livers. Mazzafegati are an unusual fresh sausage from Umbria, in central Italy, and they are delicious roasted over an open fire, especially a wood fire. You can use domestic pork and and pork liver for this, but I use wild boar; it gives the sausages an extra punch. Make sure everything is very cold when you make these sausages — liver is very moist, and will bleed when ground.

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Ingredients

Servings

1 pound pork liver, partially frozen
1 pound pork fat
3 pounds pork shoulder
36 grams kosher salt, about 3 level tablespoons
55 grams pine nuts, about a half cup, toasted
30 grams sugar, about 2 level tablespoons
15 grams ground coriander seed, about 2 teaspoons
5 garlic cloves, chopped
5 grams Black pepper, about 1 tablespoon
Zest from 3 tangerines or oranges
1/2 cup sweet white wine, such as Muscat
Hog casings

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Instructions

Chill the meat until it is almost frozen by putting it in the freezer for an hour or so. Take out some hog casings and set in a bowl of warm water.
Chop meat and fat into 1 inch chunks. Combine all the spices with the meat (except the wine), mix well with your hands and let it rest in the fridge for about an hour.
Grind through your meat grinder (you can use a food processor in a pinch, but you will not get a fine texture) twice, first using the coarse die, then the fine one. If your room is warm, set the bowl for the ground meat into another bowl of ice to keep it cold.
Add the sweet wine and mix thoroughly either using a Kitchenaid on low for 60-90 seconds or with your (very clean) hands. Mixing is important to get the sausage to bind properly. Once it is mixed well, put it back in the fridge.
Stuff the sausage into the casings all at once. Twist off links by pinching the sausage down and twisting it, first in one direction, and then with the next link, the other direction. (This video shows how I do it.) Or you could tie them off with butcher’s string.
Hang the sausages in a cool place for up to a day (the colder it is, the longer you can hang them). If it is warm out — warmer than 70F — hang for one hour. Once they have dried a bit, put in the fridge until needed. They will keep for at least a week in the fridge.
If you are freezing the sausages, wait a day before doing so. This will tighten up the sausages and help them keep their shape in the deep-freeze.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 330kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 3g (1%) Protein 14g (28%) Fat 28g (43%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Cholesterol 118mg (39%) Sodium 750mg (31%) Potassium 240mg (7%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 4910IU (98%) Vitamin C 6mg (7%) Calcium 16mg (2%) Iron 6mg (33%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20links

Amount Per Serving

Calories 330 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	330kcal	17%
Carbohydrates	3g	1%
Protein	14g	28%
Fat	28g	43%
Saturated Fat	10g	50%
Cholesterol	118mg	39%
Sodium	750mg	31%
Potassium	240mg	5%
Fiber	1g	4%
Sugar	2g	4%
Vitamin A	4910IU	98%
Vitamin C	6mg	7%
Calcium	16mg	2%
Iron	6mg	33%