Spicy Italian Calabrian Chili Sausage Recipe
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A topping that I’ve grown to love on my pizzas is a spicy sausage. Something that’s so rewarding to me is making typically store-bought foods at home. I do this by experimenting with homemade spice blends, such as Homemade Taco Seasoning, and Homemade Italian Seasoning and also homemade sausage, such as my Homemade Mild Turkey Sausage! You don’t always have to go to the store to have a great sausage! Whether you need it for pizza or pasta, this sausage is absolutely so easy to make and it will be extremely versatile! All you need is ground chicken, turkey or pork and some spices, which most probably is already in your pantry!
The key to this recipe is the Italian Calabrian peppers that are used, shown below.
These peppers are sweet and spicy and are marinated in sunflower oil. The chiles add a lot of flavour and some heat to the sausage. I also add a touch of Thai green chilies, which are much spicier. If spice isn’t your game, then don’t worry! You can omit the Thai green chilies or follow my Mild Italian Turkey Sausage instead! If you want a bit of heat but not too much, use the Calabrian peppers but omit the green chilies.
If you don’t get freshly prepared sausages at your grocery store, why not treat yourself by making this homemade Calabrian Chili Sausage today! And if you do, just think how accomplished you will feel after you enjoy sausage that you can truly customize to your own tastes. I can’t wait for you to give it a try and to let me know what you thought about it in the comments! How do you plan on using this sausage recipe first?
Ingredients for Spicy Italian Calabrian Chili Sausage
Here’s what you’ll need to make this excellent turkey sausage recipe!
Ground chicken, turkey or pork
Thai green chilies
Water
How To Make Spicy Italian Calabrian Chili Sausage From Scratch?
Preparing the sausage
Begin by crushing the fennel seeds and the anise seeds.
If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, measure and arrange the whole spices on a paper towel.
Fold the paper towel over the seeds, making sure to have the spices gather in one spot.
Using the back of a knife or a rolling pin to crush the seeds. It does not need to be completely powdered, the coarseness adds to the texture and flavour of the sausage. Crush just enough to break down the spices and release their flavour and fragrance.
In a large bowl, add the minced meat (chicken/turkey/pork).
Using a spatula, mix all the ingredients together until well combined with the meat.
How to Freeze Spicy Calabrian Chili Sausage
Transfer the sausage to a freezer safe Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 4 months. If you have made the sausage in bulk, I would recommend portioning out the sausage before freezing. The portion size can depend on the recipe or your personal preference. I like to portion the sausage in 3 ounce portions, since I usually use 3 ounce per person while preparing dinners containing sausage. So if it is a party of 4, I’ll know exactly how many portions to defrost.
To defrost, take the frozen meat out the night before you plan to use it and defrost overnight. Alternatively, if you are short on time like I usually am, place the portioned mince in a large bowl and place under a thin stream of cold running water for 1-2 hours.