Mazzafegato Dolce with Orange Zest and Pine Nuts

Mazzafegato Dolce with Orange Zest and Pine Nuts

Recipes with Mazzafegato

The sweet version of mazzafegato, unique in Italian sausage-making. Orange zest, toasted pine nuts, and raisins soaked in vin santo go into the liver mixture. When fried, the raisins caramelize and the orange oil blooms in the hot fat. This recipe makes the sausage from scratch, as it should be: mazzafegato dolce is not something you buy, it is something you make during the winter slaughter.

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

15 min

Servings

6

Difficulty

Hard

Ingredients

  • 500g pork liver, trimmed of sinew
  • 300g pork shoulder
  • 200g pork back fat
  • Zest of 2 oranges
  • 60g pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 80g raisins, soaked in vin santo for 1 hour
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • Natural pork casings, soaked in water

Steps

1

Cut the liver, shoulder, and back fat into 3cm cubes. Mince through a meat grinder fitted with a coarse plate (8-10mm). If you lack a grinder, chop by hand with a sharp knife. The texture should be rough, not smooth.

2

Mix the ground meat with garlic, salt, pepper, orange zest, drained raisins, and toasted pine nuts. Work the mixture by hand until everything is evenly distributed. Fry a small patty to check seasoning.

3

Stuff the mixture into natural casings using a sausage stuffer or a funnel. Tie off links at 15cm intervals. Twist alternate links in opposite directions.

4

Let the sausages rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (overnight is better) so the flavors meld.

5

To cook, fry in a cast-iron pan with a thin film of olive oil over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning regularly. The casing should crisp and the raisins inside should caramelize.

Tips

Soak the raisins in vin santo, not water. The wine adds another layer of sweetness and a floral note that water cannot provide. If vin santo is unavailable, Marsala or a late-harvest white wine works. Do not use brandy.