My parents used to raise a hog in Calabria every year and right after New Year’s Day we would all get ready for the Annual Whole Hog Ritual. We don’t raise a pig in California, of course, but we still maintain the tradition of making our own salumi the old-fashioned way.
When it gets cold here in the Bay Area and it is drizzling we buy lots of pork meat and make salsiccia, sopressata, capocollo, pancetta and prosciutto. This year we made our first batch right after Christmas and we started eating the cured sausage this past week, since it takes around three to four weeks to cure. There is nothing like the taste of homemade salumi!
It is actually very easy to make fresh homemade sausage. But the making of cured sausage I leave to my father, the expert salumiere, who knows what he’s doing. Calabrians who make their own salumi at home use only salt and the perfect weather conditions to cure them. But all commercially-made sausage is required by government agencies to add preservatives and nitrates.
My cookbook will have the recipe for making fresh Calabrian sausage, but let me show you in pictures the basic method. We always use pork shoulder, and add more pork fat to raise the percentage to about 25%. We then grind the meat and the fat using the grinder attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer:
We season the ground meat with only the following ingredients: salt, wild fennel seeds, and pepe rosso dolce (sweet Calabrian paprika). We add peperoncino macinato (hot pepper powder) to some for the spicy version. Nothing else goes into the meat.
We make our own pepe rosso from the sweet peppers that we dried during the summer months and the hot pepper powder from our dried hot peppers. We forage for and harvest the wild fennel seeds, since it grows wild everywhere in California. If you want to give making the sausage a try you can buy the pepe rosso, the hot pepper powder and the wild fennel seeds online from these two sites that carry products imported from Calabria:
http://stores.ebay.com/Sausage-Debauchery
The meat is mixed until it is a beautiful red color. My grandmother used to say that it wasn’t mixed well until your hands were colored red from the paprika.
The meat is then stuffed into natural hog casings using my mom’s old fashioned sausage stuffer. But back in Calabria she and her mother would spend the entire day stuffing casings with a funnel and their thumbs!
Sausages ready to be hung in my dad’s wine cellar, where they will cure for three to four weeks:
A photo by Sara Remington of my dad in his wine cellar admiring his salumi:
We still have to make sopressata, but at least we are all done making this year’s sweet and spicy sausage, pancetta and capocolli. That prosciutto in the photo above was made last year. Since we still have some left, we are skipping making prosciutto and instead we may make more capocolli.
A close-up of our cured Calabrian sausage attractively sliced and ready for eating:
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Can I come next time you make salumi?? Manodopera gratuita!!
Ciao
Vanessa
Rosetta: A great post!! I hope we may have a chance to sample some of those at our upcoming “Taste of Calabria” class with you next month. Looking forward to it! Mike
Mike,
I will have some at the cooking class (especially since you will be making the fresh sausage in class) so you can compare the two.
Vanessa,
I will let you know next time we make them.
This is too awesome. What are the “perfect weather conditions”?
I think it’s neat you’re using collected wild fennel seeds in the sausage. Since you are using foraged ingredients, would you like to enter this post in our Grow Your Own roundup this month? Full Details at
http://chezannies.blogspot.com/2010/01/rambutans-plus-grow-your-own.html
How I’ve often dreamed of doing this! Beautiful photos and history; thank you for sharing.
Hi Rosetta,
This post brought back so many memories of my grandfather’s sausage. He is long gone now, but I still remember the sausage and prosciutto hanging in the garage. My family is also from Calabria. We will be coming to the Ricotta making class in March. That’s for all the wonderful pictures and post.
Gia
Hi Rosetta!
I really enjoyed your salumi blog post and passed it on to a few friends. Your house must smell WONDERFUL with everything that is curing! I’m looking forward to taking more of your classes this year.
Hollie
They look great Rosetta. We made some fresh salsiccia and a batch of capocolli already and sopressata is up next. We add some ground red bell pepper sauce that we jar in the fall as well. It’s such a wonderful tradition!
You make me dream about this fantastic salame piccante. I love it, and rarely i get it in India, thank you! just seeing your pictures i am drooling!
Ciao.
Greetings, Rosetta -
So, now I 1) ordered some of his sausages, 2) linked your site on my Favorites list, and 3) put your upcoming book on my Christmas list! What a fabulous website you have, and what stunning photos! We made sausages for the first time with friends last week, and it was fun to see that a pro used the same Kitchen Aid add-on that our friends had. The sausages are terrific, too!
I found this post because I Googled “Calabrian sausage” – Christopher Lee is offering some at the Pop-up marketplace this week, and I wanted to find out what the heck it was
Ciao Rosetta, I have just got back from Calabria, where I helped my family make about 800 pounds of tomato sauce, and enjoyed wonderful mangiate of soppressate, olive, and incredible fresh fruit. I love your website, but I especially love the fact the someone is finally paying attention to our wonderful Calabria.
Un abbraccio e buona fortuna.
Donatella,
Wow 800lbs of tomatoes! Where were you in Calabria?
Grazie per gli auguri!
Ciao , Rossetta I live in Connecticut but born in Antonimina (Locri) Reggio Calabria and my husband and I would like to take your class on sausage making and or other classes you offer please advise, Cheers Maria and Tarvis
Maria,
I teach in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you happen to be in the area check out my cooking classes
on my website http://www.cookingwithrosetta.com and join me.
HI Rosetta, what are the measurements for the ingredients of your Calabrian sausage? thanks, Paul
Paul,
The recipe for making fresh Calabrian sausage in is my cookbook. I can give you the amounts but you should follow the directions in my book and also get the resources where you can buy the Calabrian paprika and wild fennel seeds. My book, MY CALABRIA, has been released this week and you can order it online.
For the sausage you will need: 3 lbs of pork shoulder with about 25% fat, 1/4 cup Calabrian sweet paprika, 2 tablespoons Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon of wild fennel seeds and ground hot pepper if you like it spicy.
Good luck,
Rosetta
Ok Beautiful, my Grandparents we also from Pedace (CS)/Sellia Marina, Catanzaro.
WHat is the secret to keep the sausage from hollowing out and turning a brownish color.
I have had luck and cured the sausage (small links) in the fridg. but still then at times it has spoiled. it is so damn frustrating.
Any advice is appricated, just want to make this for my own use. Our recipe is identical to yours…..I have a 5lb sausage stuffer from Sausage maker.
Again Please any advice is appricated.
David,
Curing sausages is not easy as you have found out. If the temperature and humidity is not right the sausage will not dry properly and it will hollow out and turn brown. We don’t use a fridge but we rely on mother’s nature and salt, so when the weather is just right ( rainy and cold weather in California) we make our sausages. It is very hard to make good sausages with just using salt as you really need to know if they are curing correctly, that is the reason why all the ones that are produced for sale have nitrites.
Hi Rosetta,
Thank You for answering me. Watched you on Martha Stewart (primo S. Natale) Great show and my wife purchase your cookbook My Calabria for me for Christmas.
I agree about the Nitrities and they are a better way to give you a safer cure.
Problem is they change the flavor one is looking for, as I mentioned your recipe and my families is or looks like the same…..
Thanks again for answering me.
Bouno Anno Nuevo!
Davide
Hi Rosetta,
I want to thank you for sending me the seeds we are so exited to plant them this year! My Father in law and I just made the anual batch of salsiccie e sopressate and we had a dispute on the process. Ive been reading blogs like, the sausage debauchery and cured meats and they ALL say the meat needs to ferment for at least 24 hrs. My father in law dose not do this. He puts them right in the cellar and I noticed you did not mention any fermentation at a higher temperature ( 65-80 degrees) either. He said his mother used to put them over the fire for a night in Calabria…do you guys do this at all?
Salve Rosetta, ho avuto il piacere di conoscerti oggi in San Francisco.
I know I have told you this before, but allow me to say it again, I’m so proud of you, thanks for spreading the word about our beautiful Calabria. Grazie mille e buona fortuna. Let me know when you will visit Calabria again, I could tell you of a wonderful place near my home town where they make fresh mozzarella di bufala.
Donatella,
Thank you for attending the event at the Museo. It was my pleasure meeting you. I would love to visit a place in Calabria where they make mozzarella di bufala.
Rosetta, I was wondering if you were interested in coming to speak and promote your book at Mastick Senior Center, where I work, sometime in April. I know also of couple more places that would love to have you, if you are willing. Please let me know.
Ciao a presto.
Donatella,
I would be happy to speak and promote my book. Send me an e-mail message with the details.
I LIVE IN CHICAGO IL,EVERY YEAR I HAVE A SOPRESSATTA CONTEST.LAST YEAR WE HAD 380 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE AND 40 CONTESTANTS.THIS YEAR WE MADE 600 POUNDS OF SOPRESSATTA.THIS YEAR IT WILL BE THE 5TH ANNUAL CONTEST.FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME BY EMAIL IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS.MY FAMILY IS FROM COSENZA AND NAPLES.THANKS FRANK BALESTRI AKA THE ( SODFATHER ).I CANHELP WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS OR YOU CAN WATCH ME ON YOUTUBE TITLED SODFATHER,MAKING THE FAMILY RECIPE.
Frank,
Thanks for sharing about your sopressata contest. I thought we made a lot last week when we hang 30 lbs of sopressata, that is nothing compared to your 600 lbs.
I have spent the better of the last thirty years trying to re-create my childhood sausage memories. My family used to purchase long ropes of incredible sausage in North beach from the Iacoppi family.I do not believe that they were a Calabrian family, but I don’t care. I still smell and can feel the casings hanging in my closet as a teenager. The fennel, the sweet yet fiery hot pepper, the love of life within. Once again I will try to re-create those memories with your recipe.
Thankyou
5TH ANNUAL SOPRESSATA CONTEST SEPT 25TH 3PM. PARKPLACE OF COUNTRYSIDE BANQUETS 6200 JOLIET RD COUNTRYSIDE IL 708 588-1756.ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BRING IN ONE OR TWO HOMEMADE PRESLICED SOPRESSATA TO ENTER. ALL PROFITS WILL BE DONATED TO HEART PATIENT NICHOLAS TOBAR SON OF LT. ANTHONT TOBAR AND DAWN ALBERICO TOBAR. DON’T MISS THIS AWESOME EVENT PLUS ITS A GREAT CAUSE.
LETS KEEP THE TRADITION ALIVE!!!!
I am happy to hear that traditions are being kept alive across the country! I wish I could stop by and bring in one of my Calabrian sopressata.
Hi Rosetta,
Thank you for sharing yur sausage making experiences on your excellent website.
Do you plan to hold sausage-making classes in 2012?
if not, can you recommend a class in the Bay Area?
Thank you,
John Armstrong
Help I am looking for pepe-rosso dolce….I usually go to Calabria and bring home about 20 lbs each year…can I get it from someone in the US…I have tried your two webs site listed with not luck….I live in NJ and it is time…
Hi Rosetta
What temperature and humidity level should my cantina be when air drying my sopressata. Thanks for your help
Hi Rosetta,
This is the first year that my sausages have a hollow center.
Is there anything I can do at this stage (their still hanging in my cellar) that can correct this issue (i.e placing weights on them).
Hope to hear form you soon.
Hi R -
I live in San Diego. Can I successfully make dried cured goodness here? If not, can I do it in a fridge? If so, for how long and at what temp and humidity???! I really need to know how to make this myself. Please Help!!!
Hi Guys i would love to share info and recipes with you … i am from Australia from Calabrese decent and love to make our pork small goods every year.
want to explore and improve my skills and share what i already know..
cheers
nino
Hi Rosetta,
I also am Calabrese from Cosenza and I live in Montreal Canada.
I love to make home made salami the Old Calabrese way with ONLY natural ingredients, but I could use some help on the recipes…. what I mean is that I would like to know the quantity of ingredients used per a Kg of meat.
I have seen some other Italian people making homemade salciccia and sopressata but the meat is a bit dark once is cured and that is what is holding back to try it.
I wonder if you can help !
Thank you… from a Calabrese to Another
Rosetta Hello, my name is Romualdo Cersosimo am Brazilian and I was very happy to see the photos published. It reminded me of my grandfather Luigi Cersosimo. He told us he did Pepperoni sausage, sopressata and ham when I was in Italy, in his hometown Scalea, Calabria. He did not make these delicacies in Brazil because the weather here is very hot and winter is different from the European winter.
I wonder if you can make these delicacies here in Brazil?
Thank you.
Romualdo Cersosimo
milantextil@uol.com.br