Tom Thumb

CHARCUTERIE

Sep 1

Pork Sausage, Dirty Farro, Rutabaga Relish

Chef Vivian Howard of Chef & The Farmer | Kinston, NC
Yield: 1 to 2 sausages

INGREDIENTS

Fresh Sausage:
Yield: 3 pounds
2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1- inch cubes
1 pound pork fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1½ tablespoons dried sage
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon cayenne

Tom Thumb:
1 or 2 pigs appendixes
2 tablespoons baking soda (optional)
4 grams Instacure #2
Rutabaga Relish (yield 2 quarts)
1½ pounds rutabagas
⅔ cup salt
2 large red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1¼ cups sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
3 cups cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon turmeric

Dirty Farro:
Yield: 5 cups
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup farro
Salt
½ cup finely chopped chicken livers
1 onion, diced small
⅔ cup small diced celery
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne

To Assemble and Serve:
1 yellow onion, halved top to bottom
1 large carrot, halved lengthwise
2 ribs celery, halved lengthwise
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
⅓ cup thinly sliced green onion (green part only)
½ cup of celery leaves, pickled

METHOD

For the Fresh Sausage:
In a bowl, coat pork and fat with spices. Place pork mixture, meat grinder attachments, including medium dye, and mixing bowl in the freezer; chill 30 minutes. Assemble grinder and grind pork mixture into the chilled bowl. Attach bowl to a stand mixer set with a paddle. Add ⅓ cup cold water and paddle pork mixture on medium speed for 1 minute. Cook off a small patty of sausage and taste for seasoning. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days.

For the Tom Thumb:
Under cool running water, rinse appendixes. Or, in a large pot of water with baking soda, allow appendixes to soak overnight in refrigerator to remove smell; drain and rinse. Set aside 8 ounces Fresh Sausage for the Dirty Faro. To the remaining Fresh Sausage, add InstaCure #2. Using clean hands, stuff appendixes with sausage. Press down firmly, filling every crevice of the casing. Tie the top of the sac tightly with twine, making a loop to hang it with. Hang in refrigerator for 1 week to 15 days. Make sure nothing is touching Tom Thumb and that there is airflow. He will darken in color and shrink slightly.

For the Rutabaga Relish:
Peel and halve rutabagas through the stem end. Lay the flat surface of each rutabaga half on a cutting board and slice into 1-inch wedges. Holding the wedges together for ease of work, slice them into 1/16 -inch-thick triangles. In a bowl, whisk to dissolve ½ cup of salt in 2 quarts of water. Add rutabaga triangles, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In a bowl, combine peppers, onions, remaining salt, and ½ cup water. Marinate 1 hour. Drain and rinse onion and peppers, and rutabagas. Combine all vegetables in a nonreactive, heatproof container. In a pot, bring remaining ingredients to a boil; cook 1 minute. Pour over vegetables, making sure they are submerged. To preserve in sterilized jars, pack the hot relish, cover by ½ inch with pickling liquid. Process the jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Alternatively, store relish in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. The relish is best after 1 week.

For the Dirty Farro:
In a deep saucepan over medium flame, heat oil and toast faro 1 minute. Add 2½ cups water, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Uncover, season with salt, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until just al dente. Drain and cool. In a 12-inch skillet or cast-iron pan over medium high heat, brown 8 ounces Fresh Sausage on one side, add livers, and cook 30 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients and season with 1½ teaspoons salt. Sauté 2 minutes, add ¾ cup water, and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in faro and continue cooking until all liquid evaporates. Keep warm.

To Assemble and Serve:
Rinse Tom Thumb and place in a 6-quart Dutch oven with mirepoix, salt, brown sugar, oil, and enough water to just barely cover. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Cover, decrease heat, and cook 45 minutes. Transfer Tommy from Dutch oven to refrigerator. Cool 15 minutes. Bring Tommy out and slice him into 1-inch rounds. The rounds should be firm and cooked through. In a 10- to 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, brown half the slices on both sides in 2 batches. Stir green onion and pickled celery leaves into Dirty Faro. Mound faro on a platter and arrange Tom thumb around mound. Garnish with Rutabaga Relish.

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