“Keep it simple” that’s the recurrent message from sausage maker Greg Scopas at fancy food store Farro’s Wednesday evening Sausage Making Masterclass. Greg’s Salumeria Fontana sausages are multi award winning, he was 2009 Cuisine Magazine’s Artisan Producer of the Year and featured again in this years best of list.
There are a myriad of sausage styles and there are versions of many national favourites available on the NZ market. In my opinion the general standard is pretty low considering the iconic status of a snag from the barbie. Most tend to be over processed, additive and preservative filled mystery meat affairs.
Greg’s approach is different – his sausages contain no filler, additives, preservatives, gluten or any other nasty stuff. All you’ll find in his bangers are pork prime cuts, natural flavourings and casings and crucially a healthy amount of pork fat. Greg’s porkers are sourced from producer Murrellen Pork whose pigs spend their happy lives rootling and a tootling around their Canterbury farm where their motto is “a happy pig produces good pork.”
Greg’s sausage making style is informed by a childhood spent hanging from his Italian grandmothers apron strings. Tellingly Greg rarely eats his sausages straight off the BBQ preferring to treat them as an ingredient in sauces, stews or pasta dishes. His grandmother’s habit of massaging sausage meat through pizza dough as a childhood feast sounds tasty.
Greg talked us through the equipment required for the home sausage maker. It can be as simple as forcing minced meat through a regular domestic funnel or alternatively there are various mincers and stuffers on the market that are more than adequate for the job. Greg used a hand cranked sausage making device which he purchased on a childhood day trip to Bologna (he’s been into sausages for a while apparently).
During the evening Greg russelled up two sausages for our delectation and pleasure. The first was a pork, fennel (a favourite ingredient of his) and Gorgonzola number and the other – pork, leek and chilli. They both included his preferred ingredients of Sicilian seasalt, freshly ground black pepper and French chilli powder.
Having skipped tea the smell of these sausages cooking fair had me drooling and they didn’t disappoint. They were succulent and tasty and Greg assured us that the ones we took home will be better yet after resting up in the fridge for a couple of days. I can’t wait!
All in all a cracking evening – it’s always a pleasure to see an artist at work. Greg’s enthusiasm after a life time of sausage making is undulled “I still love doing it, it’s just the simplicity of the process.”
May he continue for many years to come.
Salumeria Fontana sausages are available from Farro Fresh and other discerning food retailers nationwide or buy them from the man himself at the Matakana Farmers Market on a Saturday morning.
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