This recipe does not require you to stuff the meat into sausage casings. You can do so if you wish, but with so many recipes calling for loose Italian sausage, it’s often not worth the effort.

* 2lb ground pork
* 1Tbls salt
* 1 Tbls ground fennel seed. Start with whole fennel seeds, and use your spice grinder attachment on your blender to grind them up, or do it manually in a mortar and pestle.
* 11/2 Tbls sweet paprika
* 1Tbls finely minced fresh garlic
* 1Tbls sugar
* 1tsp black pepper
* 3 Tbls red wine vinegar

1. Mix all the ingredients together…and you have Italian sausage! You can use this mix right away, but it will get better after about 12 hours in the fridge.

Use this Italian sausage in your favorite spaghetti sauce, or instead of ground beef in lasagna. I eat it all the time simply sautéed up with some sweet red peppers, onion and fresh tomatoes…with a good crusty loaf I’m truly in heaven.

Multiply the recipe as needed, and if you make more than you need, it will freeze very well.

This can be stuffed inside sausage casings and grilled as well. Sausage casings can be found at most Italian grocery stores. Get a little funnel and shove the meat into the tubes; but don’t push too hard, as it can be frustrating to rupture the casings as you get close to a finished sausage. When your sausage is the length that you want, twist off the ends and tie them in knots.

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