Hot Italian Sausage

Italian Sausage (Photo credit: seriouslygood1)

   Sausage is basically ground pork mixed with assorted spices. Lately, I've been buying the ground pork and spicing it up myself so that I can get whatever flavor I want. Sometimes I add paprika and garlic to make chorizo, but this time I used Italian seasonings so that I could add it to pasta. I had lasagna in mind. I didn't have sage on hand, so I substituted thyme, but fennel would work well, too. 
  The house filled with an incredible aroma as this cooked and worked great in the lasagna. I could probably have added some more crushed red pepper for added heat, because this was very mild, but the flavor was good and that's what counted. 


Hot Italian Sausage

1 lb. ground pork

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp. sugar

4 tsp. fresh oregano

1/2-1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you want it)

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. rosemary

Mix all ingredients and blend well into pork. Let set 12-24 hours before using. Good in Italian dishes, meatloaf, pizza or any dish calling for a spicy ground meat.