North African Lamb Sausages Merguez Recipes

Steps:

• Toast cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a mortar and pestle to grind finely.
• Combine the ground spices, lamb, harissa, garlic, salt, and paprika in a large bowl. Mix by hand until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes so spices can permeate the meat.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Form the lamb mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on the prepared sheet.
• Roast meatballs until the centers are no longer pink, 11 to 12 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read at least 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).

Steps:

• Combine salt and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle and pound until fine. Stir cumin, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, and garlic cloves into the salt mixture and continue grinding to form a thick paste. Stir in harissa sauce and tomato paste until combined.
• Combine ground lamb and the spice paste together with a fork in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Form sausage into patties. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties until no longer pink inside, 5 to 8 minutes per side, depending on the size of the patties.

Steps:

• To make the sausage, put ground lamb in a mixing bowl. Using a spice mill or mortar and pestle, grind cumin, coriander, black pepper and allspice. Add to lamb, along with salt, cayenne, cinnamon, paprika and garlic. Mix well with hands to incorporate. Fry a little piece of the mixture in a small skillet. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt if necessary. Mix again and refrigerate at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight. Form mixture into 24 two-ounce patties.
• To make the vinaigrette, grind cumin, coriander and caraway. Combine with paprika and a good pinch of cayenne in a small bowl. Add garlic, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Whisk in olive oil.
• Light a charcoal grill or use a grill pan. The heat should be moderate. Grill sausages, in batches if necessary, for about 2 minutes per side, until just done. Keep warm. Paint onion slices with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill until softened slightly, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with zucchini. Keep at room temperature.
• Line a large platter with lettuce leaves and pile sausages in the middle. Arrange onions and zucchini around the platter. Salt the tomatoes and distribute. Whisk the vinaigrette, then drizzle over everything. Sprinkle with cilantro and mint, and serve with warm pita breads, if desired.

Steps:

• Mix ground lamb, salt, cumin, pepper, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, pomegranate juice, garlic, ginger, and thyme together.
• Can be placed in lamb casings.

Steps:

• Combine the spice mix ingredients and grind fine using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. The extra can be stored in a glass jar.
• Using a mixer, combine all the sausage ingredients. Add the ice water, a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is well combined. Form a little patty and cook it off, taste and adjust the seasoning as you see fit. Cover and chill overnight (for best flavor), or at least an hour.
• If making patties, dip your hands in ice water as you form them. This mixture will also make one large stuffed casing coil. Chill the patties or coil again if you are not going to cook right away.
• Grill for 10-12 minutes, total, turning once.

Steps:

• Soak 8 wooden skewers in water. Toast all the whole spices in a small pan. Tip into a mortar and grind with a pestle, then mix in with the paprika, harissa, garlic and cinnamon. Scrape into a bowl with the meat, season and squish together with your fingers. Mould the mix into 8 long kebabs, straight onto the skewers. Can be done up to a day ahead.
• When the coals are ashen, barbecue for 10-15 mins, turning occasionally, until cooked through. The fat from the kebabs can cause flare-ups, so be careful. While the kebabs are cooking, mix all the ingredients for the yogurt. Scatter the kebabs and yogurt with coriander, and serve with extra harissa and warm flatbreads.