Fresh Polish Sausage

Name: Fresh Polish Sausage
Yield: makes 1 pound
Ingredients: 1/2 pound ground pork; 6 ounces ground beef or veal; 1 ounce mild ham, minced; 1 ounce salt pork, minced; 1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed; 1 teaspoon dried marjoram; 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste, if needed; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup full-flavored beer (not dark beer)

January 24, 2012

The familiar Polish sausage known as kielbasa was introduced to American cuisine in the neighborhoods of Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, where many Polish immigrants settled during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Nowadays, kielbasa is widely produced commercially and is marketed to food purveyors nationwide. It is usually smoked and sandwiched in a hot dog bun, tucked into a hearty cabbage borscht, or added to a robust sauerkraut dish (page 46). That is not the whole story, however. Kielbasa is actually the generic term for sausage in Polish and there are many versions. I prefer a fresh, not smoked, sausage, but with a hint of ham to suggest a smoky flavor.

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