Where to find Italian sausage?

[Mongo_Ponton]

Philster Cover your eyes!!!

I was cringing all the way through this.

First, Italian and Olive Garden used in the same sentence.

Then Publix for ingredients?! Turkey Sausage???

Then a chef guy recommending Johnsonville Sausage? Aaaargh!
Oh the humanity!!
We should have a doper ingredient exchange sometime.

[Chefguy]

@Mongo Ponton

Then a chef guy recommending Johnsonville Sausage? Aaaargh!

Most of J-ville’s sausage is inedible, as is most commercially prepared sausage that isn’t of the breakfast variety. Their hot Italian is not bad at all, however, your snarky reply notwithstanding. I’ve tried nearly all of the stuff available up here, including Italian that’s made at butcher shops, and it’s all crap. Since I don’t have access to east coast deli goods, I use what tastes best to me (and to everyone I’ve prepared it for) in the local market. The OP stated that there weren’t any ethnic stores available, so I provided what I thought was the best alternative he might have. If that offends your sensibilities, then perhaps you should lower your expectations.

[Philster]

It’s all relative, people. To the ‘americans’ (a-met-ighans), using Johnsonville sweet Italian sausage is good enough for pizza.

Would I? No.

But I don’t even eat pizza shop pizza. We make our own.

[hekk]

@Chefguy

Most of J-ville’s sausage is inedible, as is most commercially prepared sausage that isn’t of the breakfast variety.

Hey! Their brats are tasty. Not the nasty precooked gray stuff, the fresh stuff. I prefer it to Klements brats or store brand crap.

[Fear_Itself]

@Philster

But I don’t even eat pizza shop pizza. We make our own.

So do I occasionally, but growing my own tomatoes for homemade sauce is time consuming.

[pulykamell]

@WhyNot

I’m confused, too. Did she cook it in a pan before adding it to the soup? It should turn that pale tan color when cooked. It is the same stuff as goes on pizza, only for pizza it’s often lightly rolled into little meatball-esque bits. If you didn’t like the flavor of it, just try another brand.

Or you can make your own with some ground pork, veal, beef or chuck (the stuff in the store is probably pork, but I use whatever’s cheap). To a pound of meat, add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it), 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic (garlic powder will work in a pinch) and 1-2 teaspoons sugar (depending on how sweet you want it). Most American style “Italian sausage” also has about 1/2 to 1 tsp of lightly crushed fennel seeds added to it, but not a single Italian person I know likes “finnochio” in their sausage. My Italian immigrant friend Giuseppe uses Polish sausage where I would use Italian sausage to get away from the fennel. I use the fennel when I cook for myself, but if Giuseppe is coming over for dinner, I leave it out. Mix your meat and spices - gently, don’t overwork the meat - and make into little balls, stuff into casings, or brown as is and add to recipes.

This sounds pretty spot-on to me. What’s sold as fresh Italian sausage here is generally a product made with pork, salt, garlic, black or white pepper, fennel seeds (or sometimes anise), and pepper flakes (for the hot version). You don’t need to buy the sausage, just get some ground pork shoulder, and add the herbs and spices in the proper proportions (start with WhyNot’s recipe as a guideline. My only change is I don’t use oregano in my fresh Italian sausage.)

And you’re right about the fennel. The type of Italian sausage that became popular in the US is the fennel variety, so much so that to be sold as “Italian Sausage” in the US, the USDA requires fennel or anise. However, real Italian sausage covers a wide swath of sausages, most without fennel. The most basic salsiccia fresca (fresh sausage) is simply made of pork and salt. More common would be pork, salt, black pepper, and garlic. I believe the fennel varieties are more common in Sicily, but I’m not entirely sure, as I haven’t come across many fennel-based Italian sausages outside the US. Perhaps somebody more acquainted with the regionalisms of Italian culinary traditions can chime in.

[Autolycus]

On an Italian guy?