Another local TREASURE

Handmade sausage, served on a white bean truffle puree and Porcini mushrooms

“Ciao Simona,”said my friend Eva “ unfortunately today we have to slaughter one of our pigs, and I`m just calling to ask if you would like to come over on Sunday afternoon  to help us make some sausages?”…………………..
Well that`s how it all started.

Eva and Fumo  are a very nice couple who have quite a lot of animals on their farm, a good mixture of pigs, sheep and chickens. They run a beautiful farmhouse in Umbria and as I have mentioned in previous stories on my blog, their animals are allowed roam freely over their  land. In fact  very often when I`ve been there relaxing in the sunshine having a chat and enjoying a nice cup of coffee or a good glass of wine we have been joined by a huge curious pig or even a couple of hens, it’s  as though they`ve just come to say hello. In short, it’s a dream place, but every now and then there comes a day when reality calls and when it comes, it’s always a sad day for Fumo and Eva. Being a farmer can be a difficult choice for many reasons and on these days you must have a great strength and courage to do what needs to be done.
Come Sunday afternoon Nick and I went to help out with the fascinating and interesting process of sausage making. But the real guest of honor that afternoon was Marco, expert and master of many things including sausage making. Marco`s main occupation is that of a  policeman, but his great passions are olive trees and animals. He is so proud of his olive trees he is the only one who can prune them , even if his wife had a degree in agriculture, she would NOT be allowed to touch them , he is the only one who can care for them.  I must say, I have seen his olive trees..and they are very very beautiful.

Anyway, for generations the men in  Marco’s family have also been producing fantastic sausages, prosciutto, salame, pancetta … in short he said, nothing from the animal is wasted. He really is  a true expert and it  was an honor to be part of his team when making the sausages on Sunday.
Once all the meat pieces were cut the spices and salt were added. The amount of salt is very, very important. It does preserve  the meat, but using an excessive amount can also give a very  unpleasant taste to the sausage , so you cannot mess around with it! Next  garlic, pepper and chili are added, and that was it. Nothing more was needed, Fumo and Eva’s philosophy is that if you use quality meat  there is no reason to cover it with too many other flavors. Quite right too!

Once the seasoning was done Marco and I gave it all a good mix and then it was ready for the fantastic sausage machine . It is an old but super expensive machine that belongs to  Marco’s cousin. What a real gem.

But at this stage I`m sure you will be more interested to follow Nick’s footage that  shows the different steps taken for making good quality sausages.

By 6.30pm an enormous quantity had been completed. These delicious sausages will be one of the many great dishes that Eva and Fumo’s  guests  will enjoy during their holidays.

And as for us, thanks to the generosity of our hosts, we came  home on Sunday evening with 30 sausages as a gift. By 8pm the fires were lit and we were enjoying a great glass of red wine . Nick and I decided to celebrate the wonderful day by enjoying a super special dinner: homemade sausages (prepared a couple of hours earlier), served on a white bean truffle puree and porcini mushrooms. What a fantastic Sunday!