re: Quality Italian Sausage in NOLA

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Anyone have a good Italian sausage recipe?

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Here's what I do:

5 lbs. ground pork---I buy pork butts and grind my own
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. Fennel seed----cracked in a mortar and pestle
1 tbsp. Anise seed
2 tbsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Pepper Flakes
1 tsp. Caraway Seed
1 1/2 tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 cup ice water

Blend all the seasonings in a separate bowl from the pork and when they are all blended, add to the pork plus the ice water. Mix this by hand and get the seasoning blended in with the meat real good.

I have a designated sausage stuffer and use natural casings to make my cased sausage, but I do leave some of it loose to use in dishes like lasagna when I don't want it in casings.