Carluccio's - Luganega
By: Carluccio's
At last! a change from haggis I hear you say! Blame the pleasures of moving house, securing a BT line, installing broadband and wrestling with conflicting firewalls. During this time of stress I have been on a Italian sausage binge and have found a solace in the posh (and expensive) Italian deli in Covent Garden (the place to go for fungi fans with other branches on London and the South East).
This luganega is a semi cured sausage made with all meat and no filler. It is vaguely spicy with a hint of garlic and a firm meaty texture. It is coiled (like a Cumberland) and requires cooking, it can be cooked whole and served on a bed of lentils. We have used it crumbled in a pasta sauce and cooked whole with lentils. Expensive at around £10 per kilo but strong tasting and no waste so a little goes a long way. It is not really meant for eating a la sausage and mash (but try it with polenta) because it is expensive and coud be overpowering in large quantities, it is very good cooked and eaten cold as an appetizer.