This has been a bit of a quest! A few months back we were given some cudighi. I tucked it in the freezer and didn’t really think about it again until recently. I just didn’t know what to do with it, and to add to not knowing what cudighi tastes like, ours was made from wild boar. Now we know and love wild boar, so every scrap of the stuff that we can get our hands on we treat as best as possible. Then the other night, the kids asked for spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner, and not having any ground meat for the sauce, I thawed the cudighi. As I was browning it, it smelled remarkably like pepperoni, and I was looking forward to tasting it.
The flavor is unlike any other sausage I’ve ever tried. It did taste a little like pepperoni, but I also tasted all-spice and fennel seeds. And as it turns out, I’m not that far off the mark.
Cudighi is a sausage found only in two parts of the world- one small part of Italy, and one small part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. And finding a recipe is just as difficult as finding the sausage. I found two recipes that are very different, but I think by using both recipes as a guide, I could recreate the cudighi we had. Here is the first one, which looks close, but doesn’t have the fennel seeds or crushed red pepper flakes that our sausage had. It also has more cinnamon than ours did- as the cinnamon was not noticeable at all.
Cudighi
1 (6 pound) pork butt
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 to 1 cup dry red wine
6 garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 clove
Have the pork coarse ground and DO NOT have fat trimmed (you want about 25% fat). Put through the meat grinder TWICE.
Mix the following ingredients together: salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Work into ground pork with your hands.
Combine wine, cinnamon sticks, garlic and cloves. Boil this mixture for 5 minutes and let completely cool.
Strain this mixture, reserving the liquid and work the liquid into the meat.
Let meat season in refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Then there is this recipe, which looks more like the one we had, but is very different, and might not have the depth of flavor the sausage we were given had. If anyone has any insight into this treasures sausage, I would love to hear it. The sausage is delicious, and worked really well in a pasta sauce, and equally well on last nights oyster mushroom and cudighi pizza.
Cudighi
6 lb coarsely ground pork(pork butt recommended)
1 clove garlic chopped fine
1 T. Crushed red pepper
6 T. Salt
1-2 T. fennel seed
Mix well and keep in the fridge for 24 hours.
Form into thin, to about 1/2 thick patties into oblong shape or depending on the type of Roll you will serve it in.. can be squared shape if desired. Brown in oil , cover and simmer fry, but not crispy brown, use just a little water(optional) to simmer to help with the dryness, for 25-30 minutes or until no red shows and pork is fully cooked.
Serve on fancy Deli roll type bun, such as hard roll, Kaiser roll etc.
Things to compliment this is combinations of grilled green pepper rings and grilled sliced onion, mustard, catsup, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, whatever combination you desire and to your liking. My favorite is with a little mustard, the grilled green pepper and onion.
this recipe makes a lot of patties so cut recipe by half
or make-up patties and partially cook,cool, then freeze patties for quick sandwich’s later.
You have discovered a truly special treasure! Cudighi is an item I crave from the small town in Northern Michigan where I grew up. I have tasted family recipes from dozens of neighbors and friends, and I can tell you that they vary according to the desires of the cook! Personally, your first recipe is probably the most flavorful. My recipe varies only slightly. I leave the bits of garlic in the wine and work that into the meat, and I add 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes for added kick! I now make this recipe frequently and share it with friends here in Ohio who think its absolutely fantastic! You just can’t buy it anywhere and that’s what makes it so special!
Enjoy!!!!
I live in the upper peninsula where this is traditional. Your recipe with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice is a good one. The 2nd one with fennel is not even close. Two ways to eat it. Dress it with pizza sauce, mozz. peppers and the rest… or… many people just have it with yellow mustard and raw onions. Both ways are great. Make sure you let the sausage sit for a minimum of 24 hours to meld the flavors. 3 days (in the fridge) are better. Carlo Rossi Pisano wine is what I use.
The recipe is much the same as what the french Canadians put into their meat pies at Christmas. Wonder if it is a transfer of tradition?
The traditional cotechino sausage is a northern Italian staple. Cudeghi is the dialect version of the word. Cudeghi is the UP version of the dialect. This was clearly brought over from northern Italian immigrants. The first recipe is the most authentic.
The sausage is usually enjoyed two ways in Italy.
The sausage is boiled and then added to lentils that have been simmered in chicken stock, red wine, celery, carrot, onion, garlic, tomato paste and bay leaf.
The other method is to cut the sausages lengthwise in half or quarters and grill. Once grilled and nicely crisped, drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
If an Italian saw the way it’s eaten in the UP, they’d be puzzled. Not that it’s bad. It’s just different.
Hi I thought I would add my 2c. My grandparents are from tiny villages in the North of Italy, and would make this sausage (cudighin) one a year (its a lot of work!)
The difference between cudighin and “normal” italian sausage is the presence of skin in the mix. The pig skin is boiled and minced, and just enough minced pork meat and fat is added to bind it – about 70% minced boiled pork skin and 30% pork mince and fat.
My grandparents only seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, red wine and allspice – other recipes have cloves as well.