SWEETBREAD AND SPINACH SAUSAGE

Sweetbread and Spinach Sausage image

Provided by Marian Burros

Categories dinner, appetizer, main course

Time 2h40m

Yield about 20 links

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1 pound sweetbreads
1 pound fresh loose spinach
3/4 pound lean veal, cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 pound lean pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound fatback, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup shallots
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Salt to taste
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Steps:

Remove all outer membranes, blood and connecting tissues from sweetbreads. Soak them overnight in cool water.
Drain and cook the sweetbreads in water to cover with salt to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and arrange on a rack with a weight to extract the moisture for one hour. Chill. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
Clean spinach, removing all tough stems, and wash well. Drain. Cook spinach in the moisture that clings to the leaves over low heat until it is wilted. Drain; cool and then extract as much moisture as possible by squeezing in tea towel or cheesecloth. Chop coarsely.
Combine sweetbreads, veal, pork, fat, shallots, seasonings and eggs in several batches in food processor and process each batch about 20 seconds with metal blade, until mixture is in very small pieces. After all the batches are processed, return each one to processor, slowly pouring in a portion of the cream while processing for about 15 seconds. The mixture should be smooth but not too fine.
Combine the meats with the spinach and blend well.
Using sausage stuffer, stuff casings, twist and tie into 4- to 6-inch links.
Place sausages in pot of boiling salted water. Return slowly to a boil; reduce heat and simmer slowly for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Drain well and cool.
To serve, grill or pan-fry sausages in butter. If desired, serve with beurre blanc.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 245, UnsaturatedFat 10 grams, Carbohydrate 2 grams, Fat 21 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 13 grams, SaturatedFat 9 grams, Sodium 272 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram, TransFat 0 grams