Luganega

Luganega sausage (coiled fresh pork sausage, Lombard style)

A coarse-ground, hand-tied fresh pork sausage from Lombardy, traditionally coiled and sold loose by the butcher. Here it is shaped into coils at home and finished two ways: pan-braised with onions, and grilled on rosemary skewers.

Prep

40 min

Cook

25 min

Total

65 min

Serves

8 (makes about 1.4 kg / 3 lb of sausage, serving 8 as a star

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •700 g (1 lb 8½ oz) pork shoulder, diced and chilled, about 30% fat; do not trim
• •300 g (10½ oz) pork belly, diced and chilled, for fat and flavor; substitute with extra shoulder if unavailable
• •22 g (4 tsp) fine sea salt, about 1.6% of meat weight
• •5 g (1 tbsp) freshly ground black pepper, coarsely ground is traditional
• •4 g (1 tsp) garlic, finely minced, use less if you prefer a milder sausage
• •60 g (2 oz (½ cup grated)) Grana Padano, finely grated, Parmigiano-Reggiano is the closest substitute
• •120 ml (½ cup) red wine, dry and robust, Nebbiolo, Barbera or any dry northern Italian red; not optional in Lombard recipe
• •1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped, plus 8–10 small sprigs for skewering
• •1 tsp grated nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
• •1 unit natural hog casings, rinsed, about 2 m / 2 yd; soak in tepid water 30 min before stuffing. Skip only if hand-rolling without casing

Steps

1. 1 Chill everything: return diced meats to the freezer for 20–30 minutes until very firm but not frozen solid. A cold grind keeps the fat distinct and the texture coarse, which is what defines a true luganega.
2. 2 Pass the pork shoulder and belly through a meat grinder fitted with the coarse plate (8–10 mm). For the Lombard style, do not grind twice; a single coarse pass is correct. If you do not have a grinder, ask your butcher to coarse-grind, or pulse the meat in small batches in a food processor, stopping while the pieces are still pea-sized — note that this will give a slightly different texture.
3. 3 In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, salt, pepper, garlic, grated Grana Padano, chopped rosemary and nutmeg. Pour the red wine over the top and mix gently with one hand or a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes, just until the wine is absorbed and the mixture feels tacky and uniform. Do not overwork.
4. 4 Cover and rest the forcemeat in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. This allows the salt to extract the proteins that will help the sausage hold together whether you case it or not.
5. 5 If using casings: tie a knot at one end of the soaked casing and slide the open end onto the nozzle of a stuffer (or a clean pastry bag fitted with a wide plain tube). Feed the meat through, supporting the filled casing with your other hand so it does not burst, until you have used all the meat. Prick any large air pockets with a sterilized pin.
6. 6 Form the filled casing into coils about 12–14 cm / 5–5½ in across, tucking the end underneath and tying each coil at 3–4 points with kitchen twine (butcher's string) so it holds its shape during cooking. If not using casings, shape the seasoned meat into two tight coils (about 12 cm across and 4 cm thick) on a tray, and tie them at intervals as above.
7. 7 For the pan-braised version (sausage with onions, the classic accompaniment to risotto alla milanese): thinly slice 2 large yellow onions (about 400 g / 14 oz). Cook them slowly in 30 ml / 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes until soft and golden. Nestle one or two uncooked luganega coils into the pan, add 60 ml / ¼ cup water or dry white wine, cover and cook over low heat for 25–30 minutes, turning once, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 71°C / 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
8. 8 For the grilled antipasto version: cut one luganega coil into bite-sized pieces about 2.5 cm / 1 in long. Strip the leaves from the base of 8–10 small rosemary sprigs (leaving a tuft at the top), then thread 3–4 pieces onto each sprue to make a small skewer. Grill over medium-hot coals or under a preheated broiler, turning, for 6–8 minutes total, until the pork reaches 71°C / 160°F inside and the casing is blistered and lightly charred.
9. 9 Rest the cooked sausage 3–4 minutes before serving. Pan-braised luganega is served hot with its onion juices; grilled rosemary skewers are served warm or at room temperature as antipasto. Any leftover raw sausage keeps, well wrapped, 2 days in the refrigerator, or 2 months in the freezer.