Sheftalia and caul fat

[Johnniem]

After finally investing in grinder / sausage maker I am now well placed to make a personal favourite of mine - sheftalia.

I went to my butcher who is extremely helpful and he said getting caul fat these days is a real pain and it could be a couple of weeks every time I fancy getting hold of some!

Would anyone know the drawback of using normal hog skin as opposed to the much vaunted caul fat?

[aris]

Totally different taste and texture - there is no substitute. If you live near london, try any butchery in Green Lanes in Harringay. Lots of Greek Cypriots live there - and Sheftalia is a Cypriot dish.

[Johnniem]

Yes I know - my sister has been living in Limassol for about 20 years and I love the place.

Unfortunatley I live in Edinburgh now - no Cypriot restaurants and one rather dodgy Greek one so I only ever get them when I'm over there.

Thanks for the tip on the caul fat - see if I can get the butcher to work a bit harder....

[aris]

I know it sounds strange, but you might be able to find a butcher somewhere in the UK who can post it to you. There are a fair few butchers who sell online - give them a try.

[deb]

Johnniem, I've never had sheftalia but am very interested. Any chance you could post the recipe?
Thanks.

[Johnniem]

Aris thanks for the tip!

Deb -mMy sisters friend in Cyprus makes the most amazing sheftalia and she gave me her recipe. She's a bit protective about it (it's part her business) however I assured her that I wouldn't hand it out.

I'll go back and I'm sure if I explain the context of this website she'll be fine with posting it on here.

However if you look on the internet there are a lot of recipes and to be honest there is not much difference between them - I think it's all about the quality of the produce and the care and attention duly shown in preparing them which makes the difference. My only recommendation would be that they definitely benefit from BBQing!

Here is a recipe from the net:


Sheftalia
(Cyprus)
Grilled Cypriot Sausage

This Greek Cypriot cr�pinette, a sausage without skin, uses caul fat, or omentum, the membrane that surrounds the stomach, to wrap the ingredients rather than sausage casing. Caul fat is transparent, fragile, and naturally fatty, so you will not need to baste when grilling. Ask the butcher in your supermarket for it.

1 pound ground pork shoulder

1 pound ground lamb shoulder or leg

1/4 pound pork fatback, rind removed and fat finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 pound pork caul fat

1. In a large bowl, knead together the pork shoulder, lamb, fatback, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper thoroughly and form into small egg-size shapes, slightly flattened.

2. Carefully unravel the caul fat and stretch it out over your work surface. Cut into as many 4- to 5-inch squares as you can. Place a small flattened size piece of the sausage mixture on each square and wrap it into a neat little package, shaping it with the palms of your hand. Let the sheftalia rest in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

3. The sheftalia can be frozen for up to 4 months at this point or you can grill them. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill for 20 minutes on high. Grill the sheftalia until golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes, moving them around the grill to avoid flare-ups.


Makes 30 sheftalia

[deb]

Thanks for posting the recipe Johnniem.
It's a shame your sister's friend has sworn you to secrecy, I hope she'll relent and allow you to pass it out for home use. Maybe you could pm the recipe to interested parties and assure her it won't be posted on a site so will not be available for public view. These look like something I would really enjoy so if you are allowed to give the recipe in the future I'd be most grateful. I might wait until the weather improves to make them so that I can cook them on the barbie as you recommend.

[Parson Snows]

Johnniem wrote

Unfortunatley I live in Edinburgh now

You sassenach that's God's country .. though not if you're looking for porcine products. They are way down the list of priorities in this City of Culture.

regarding caul fat Aris wrote

Totally different taste and texture - there is no substitute

He's correct to the texture in as much as the caul fat embodies the meat and when cooked gently melts into the mixture whilst still holding it together. A casing would remain a casing regardless and is not acceptable.

If you want to see food taken to the extreme for profit, go to Jenner's on Prince's Street and check out the "Haggis legs". As Dave Barry would say .."I'm not making this up". For sale in one of the most reputable shops in the UK; purely for the benefit of the American tourists; are 4 Haggis legs - two (2) long and two (2) short, shaped like chicken drumsticks.

kind regards

Parson Snows

PS A good friend of mine is the GM for the Meridien Hotel above Edinburgh Train Station

[Johnniem]

Sassenach! Sorry but the move to Edinburgh was from Glasgow - only 40 miles!

I've actually found a chap in Stockbridge who said he'll have caul fat this week.

[Parson Snows]

Johnniem wrote

Sassenach! Sorry but the move to Edinburgh was from Glasgow - only 40 miles!

Sorry but you�re still a sassenach
\Sas"sen*ach\, n. [Gael. sasunnach.] A Saxon; an Englishman; a Lowlander. [Celtic] --Sir W. Scott.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.



kind regards

Parson Snows

[Johnniem]

Not seeming to be (too) pedantic:

Collins, English Dictionary

Sassenach n. Scot. and occassionally Irish, an English person. [C18: from Irish Sasanach, from late Latin 'saxones' - Saxons who raided and settled in Southern Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries AD.

What did Walter Scott know anyway....

[cumberland-sausage]

Hi there.

Here is a recipe fro Sheftalia that I use (From "The Taste Of Cyprus" by Gill Davis ISBN 0 948853 25 5)

1 lb coarse ground pork
1 lb finely ground pork
1 large onion grated
4tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp salt
ground black pepper
8 oz panna (caul fat)

The method is pretty much the same as posted above but I use hog casings instead. I'm quite happy with the taste even if it isn't totally authentic.