Tom Fitzmorris: "Not many cookbooks--not even local ones--have recipes for boudin. The reason for this is that one ingredient--the casing--is hard to come by these days. Few markets stock it, and those that do want to sell you a lifetime supply. I usually wind up begging a supermarket that makes its own sausages (as most of the big ones do) to give me ten or twenty feet of it. (Getting them to sell it to you requires them to figure a price for the stuff, and that question is enough to stop them cold.)"The first clue I got to making boudin that tastes right was when Alex Patout told me that pork liver was essential. I'm glad I didn't know that when I first tried boudin, because it might have put me off, as it does most people who hear about it. Since then, I've come to another conclusion: a concentrated stock made from chicken leg quarters is what must be used to cook the rice. Then the chicken itself should be part of the recipe, although pork is the main meat component.
"One more thing: do not use Uncle Ben's or any similar par-boiled rice for this. I love the stuff, but for boudin the rice has to be a little sticky."
1. Unroll the sausage casings and soak them in cold water for an hour or so. Pull them open and run water through the casing for a few seconds. Keep moist.
- 3 or 4 yards of medium sausage casing
- Stock:
- 4 chicken leg quarters
- 2 lbs. pork shoulder or Boston butt
- 1 onion, cut into eighths
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 ribs celery, cut up
- Stems from 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. marjoram
- 1 tsp. black peppercorns
- Liver preparation:
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 lb. pork liver
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1 stick celery, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 Tbs. cayenne
- 1 1/2 Tbs. salt
- 3 cups uncooked long-grain rice (not par-boiled or converted)
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
- 2 bunches green onions, tender green parts only, finely chopped
2. Combine all the stock ingredients with enough water to cover in a stockpot or kettle. (At least a gallon of water.) Bring to a light boil and cook uncovered for two hours. Skim the fat and scum off the surface as it cooks.
3. Slice the pork liver about a half-inch thick. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon and eat it. Add the pork liver and all the other liver preparation ingredients to the drippings and saute over medium heat until the liver is tender. Remove about a half-cup of the stock from the stockpot and add to the liver pan. Bring to a simmer and cook another ten minutes.
5. After the stock has cooked for two hours, remove the meat from the stockpot and set aside. Strain the stock and discard all the vegetables. Return the stock to a light boil and reduce to two quarts.
6. Reserve two of the chicken leg quarters for another purpose. Skin the other two and dice the meat off the bones. Also dice the pork shoulder, cutting across the grain of the meat.
7. Bring five cups of the stock to a boil and add the rice. Lower the heat to a simmer for 25 minutes, until the rice is very tender and borderline gummy. Fluff and set aside.
8. If you have a meat grinder, fit it with the coarse blade or quarter-inch die. Combine the diced chicken, pork, and liver (leave the vegetables in the pan, but anything that sticks to the liver slices is okay). Run that through the grinder once. If you don't have a grinder, a food processor also works, but don't process too much--stop short of mincing the ingredients.
9. Combine the ground meat mixture with the rice, the chopped parsley and green onions, and the black pepper. Add 1 to 2 cups of the stock, a little at a time, and mix to distribute all the ingredients evenly. You have enough stock when you can easily make a ball of the ingredients without its sticking to your fingers. Add more cayenne and salt to taste.
10. At this point, you can either stuff the boudin into the casings, or you can make boudin balls without casings. Either way, microwave to quite warm before serving.
Makes about 20-25 4-inch links.
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