Chicken Bacon Sausage

This recipe was submitted by my pal Cedan Bourne-Nisson. He's from my old-school Utah Shakespearean Festival days and he is a serious carnivore!

Chicken-Bacon Sausage

(you will need a meat grinder)

Note: If apples are in season I often chop up an apple and add it to the mix pre-grind. Core the apple, but leave the skin on.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken thighs

1/2 lb your favorite bacon

1 large/medium clove garlic

3 table spoons kosher salt (I like Diamond Crystal)

1 table spoons fresh ground black pepper

1 tea spoon crushed red pepper (more or less as you like)

6-10 leaves fresh basil (I like Thai, but whatever)

1/4 cup olive oil

A splash of really cold white wine (whatever you have on hand)

Ice

One large mixing bowl, and one medium mixing bowl

Meat Grinder with small die

Directions:

First off, put your whole meat grinder and the bowls in the freezer. Two hours would be good, four would be better.

When your hardware is good and frozen go ahead and put your chicken and bacon in the freezer for a bit too. You don't want to freeze it, but you want it to be good and firm - this will make cutting it up much easier.

Chiffonade the basil and set aside

Dice the clove of garlic.

Cube up your slightly frozen meats (about 1/2 inch cube);

mix the meats, garlic, crushed red, salt, and black pepper together.

Place this whole mix in the refrigerator while you set up your grinder.

Fill the larger bowl with ice, and place the medium bowl in the ice.

Place your grinder so that the meat will fall into the medium bowl.

If you have an apron, you might want to put it on: Sometimes this spits.

On low speed, run the chicken/bacon mix thru the grinder.

Remember: Heat is the enemy. Don't force it... but work as quickly as you can.

When everything is all ground up add the basil.

Then, using a wooden spoon (or a stand mixer with paddle attachment) stir the mix for a good minute. Then add the olive oil and chilled white wine. Mix for another minute.

That's it.

Use it loose, stuff it into casings, poach it (maybe in some white wine?), add it to pasta, or rice. If you have some french bread, pickles, lettuce and mustard you can make a really nice sandwich.

Should keep for 3-4 days refrigerated, or a couple months frozen.

Enjoy