Basilicata
A spiced fresh pork sausage from the Picerno area of Basilicata — ground pork shoulder, fat, wild fennel seed, peperoncino, garlic and red wine stuffed into natural casings. It is among Italy's oldest documented sausages (the Roman 'lucanica' mentioned by Apicius and Cicero is believed to have originated from Basilicata). Grilled over charcoal or fried in a pan, it is eaten as a secondo or crumbled into sauces.
Fennel-sweet, faintly spicy, porky and wine-perfumed; the charcoal grill adds smokiness; the coarse grind gives texture — a sausage of ancient lineage and simple excellence
{"Use pork shoulder at 75:25 lean-to-fat — the fat lubricates the meat during grilling and prevents drying","Grind at 8mm (medium-coarse) — fine grinding produces a sausage with monotonous texture; coarse preserves the meat character","Rest the seasoned mixture overnight before stuffing — the flavours meld and the salt tenderises the proteins","Stuff at medium tension — too tight and the sausage bursts when grilled; too loose and it flattens","Prick with a pin before grilling to allow steam to escape without splitting the casing"}
{"Wild fennel seed (not cultivated fennel seed) has a more intense, anise-like flavour — source from specialty suppliers or forage in autumn","A splash of Aglianico del Vulture red wine in the mix (the local variety) adds a tannin depth that complements the game-like quality of the wild fennel","Serve with friggitelli (mild Calabrian green peppers) fried in olive oil alongside — the standard Basilicatan accompaniment"}
{"Insufficient fat ratio — lean sausages dry out over charcoal and lose flavour","Not resting the mixture — freshly seasoned sausages lack depth and the spices taste raw","Skipping the pin-pricking before grilling — pressure from steam buildup splits the casing dramatically"}
La Norcineria di Basilicata — Salumi e Insaccati Tradizionali