Think Beyond the Link

You don't have to be an expert cook or have a fancy kitchen to make sausage at home. If you simply think beyond the link, you'll find a whole world of sausage possibilities. Patties, meatballs, fish balls, veg balls, meat loaf--these are all sausages without casings that are every bit as savory and satisfying as their linked cousins. And, since they do not require special equipment, they are a snap to make at home.

In Sausage, Victoria Wise shares more than 75 recipes for easy-to-make, no-casing-required pork, beef, lamb, poultry, seafood, and even vegetarian sausages, including innovative recipes that turn them into sophisticated meals. An inviting and wonderfully diverse collection from all around the globe, this compendium features European classics, American mainstays, Asian favorites, Middle Eastern inspirations, and sausages African in origin. You will find dishes for every meal and occasion, such as Rustic Cornmeal Pancakes Dappled with American Breakfast Sausage and Slicked with Maple Syrup; Lunch Pie, aka Quiche, with Toulouse Sausage and Spinach; Vietnamese-Style Beef Sausage and Vegetable Spring Rolls with Mint Dipping Sauce; and Merguez and Apple Tagine over Couscous with Harissa. For those who like their sausage in traditional links, Wise offers expert direction for stuffing sausage into casings.

Beautifully written and photographed, Sausage is the only book of its kind. Its array of inventive sausages and sausage-centric dishes are inspiration for both the new and the well-seasoned cook. Making sausage at home has never been so easy--nor the results so delicious.
About the Author: Victoria Wise, once a doctoral student in philosophy, cooked the first meal at the famed Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California, in 1971. In 1973, she opened Pig-by-the-Tail, a charcuterie that helped define Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto as the epicenter of culinary innovation and redefine the notion of "deli" in America. Twelve years later, she sold Pig-by-the-Tail to pursue her other passions--writing, gardening, and developing fresh home cooking recipes for her books--while she raised her son. She has written for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Williams-Sonoma Taste, and Food & Wine and has published thirteen books on cooking and gardening. Her first book, American Charcuterie: Recipes from Pig-by-the-Tail, was nominated for the James Beard Cookbook of the Year award in 1986. Victoria resides in Oakland, California.