Merguez (traditional Moroccan sausage)
Merguez is a traditional Moroccan sausage; street and market vendors often serve it grilled. Its deep red color hints at its heat, and it's very flavorful. Here, red wine vinegar provides an acidic note in lieu of the more traditional ground sumac. Try shaping merguez into meatballs and poaching the balls in a brothy vegetable stew, or shape into cylinders or patties.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 lb ground lamb, well-chilled
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
Toast cumin and fennel seeds in a dry heavy skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer warm spices to a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle; grind finely. Combine with the ground coriander, cinnamon, paprika and cayenne pepper.
Combine the chilled ground lamb with the spices, cilantro, red wine vinegar, garlic and salt. Pinch off a little of the mixture, form into a patty, and fry in olive oil to see if you like the sausage. Adjust the seasonings if necessary.
Form sausages into patties to cook immediately or for storing in the refrigerator or freezer, or stuff the mixture into lamb or pork casings. Chill well before stuffing into casings.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!