SRJC culinary instructor brings back art of handmade sausage

Making fresh sausage by hand may be a lost art these days, but not for Paul Kaldunski. The son of first-generation Americans, and the oldest of five children, he grew up eating home-cooked meals made from scratch with fresh ingredients. “There was a lot of cooking in my family-fresh pasta and sauce. It’s a way of life,” said the retired Sebastopol engineer.

Kaldunski grew up in the Bay Area. His father was Polish, and his mother Italian. Though his father was known for his “secret sauce,” when it came to barbecuing, his mother did most of the cooking, so there was a heavy Italian influence. Making sausage, however, was a family affair and a tradition Kaldunski is inspired to pass on to others.

“My passion is making sausage, but my deeper passion is sharing the technique,” he said by way of explaining his workshops at the Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC). His artisanal sausage-making workshop includes a one-hour lecture and four hours of hands-on experience in the kitchen.

Kaldunski brings history and heritage to artisanal sausage-making. He thinks there is simply no comparison between getting hands-on experience and following a recipe or watching a cooking show, and perhaps that explains why local chefs participate in his workshop. Students learn how to make two varieties: country-sage farm sausage and spicy Italian sausage.

Kaldunski shares his two basic, five-pound recipes in class, but encourages students to customize them to their tastes. As for those students who have family recipes passed down from previous generations, he urges them to use his technique to make them work.

He prefers to use a good quality “pork butt” (technically, the shoulder portion of a hog, known formally as Boston butt), because it has just the right ratio of meat (85 percent) to fat (15 percent). Wine is his first choice as an ingredient, but broth can also be used to add flavor. When it comes to herbs, he prefers fresh over dried, using thyme, parsley and oregano. As for aromatics, vinegars, garlic, mushrooms and others can enhance flavors. “Carmelizing onions gives sausage a nice sweetness,” he told students in his workshop one Sunday morning.

Students learn each step of the process, which includes butchering the pork, chopping herbs, adding spices and stuffing the Italian sausage into casings. While they often make a few mistakes, they learn along the way. (In a recent workshop, for example, they blew up a couple of sausages in the kitchen because the meat was packed too tight.)

To prevent the spread of bacteria, which can expand every 20 minutes, the goal is to work fast, clean and cold, according to Kaldunski. Students wear food-handling gloves. When it comes to mixing the sausage, the goal is not to overwork the meat. “Don’t grind or mix it too much. It smears,” he explained.

The secret to great fresh, handmade sausage is all in the technique, he added. “It’s much like working with pastry,” he explained. “Your hands should be cold, because warm hands smear the fat, and you want to fluff the meat, not squish it.” While commercial-size mixers are available for mixing larger quantities, Kaldunski still prefers hand mixing when possible. Another key step in the process is to do a “test fry” and taste the sausage before packing it in casings or in bulk. “It’s your last chance to make a change,” he emphasized.

Kaldunski has tried using other protein alternatives to make a meatless sausage, but not successfully yet. “The texture is the challenge with fish,” he said. He also tried using tofu once. The result? “In my opinion, it failed. It didn’t have a good feel in the mouth.” Nevertheless, Kaldunski hasn’t given up on creating a tofu version and plans to experiment again soon.

He also shares his recipes and technique with friends, hosting a “Sausage Fest” at his home each autumn for up to 80 friends-a tradition he began 11 years ago to pass on the art of sausage-making to his adult children, Shelly, Shane and Tiffany, as well as their families. “Everyone brings two pork butts and two bottles of wine,” he said.

Like his workshop, everyone pitches in to learn the process. They begin in the early morning hours while it’s still cool, working in his outdoor kitchen and gathering fresh herbs from his garden. At the end of the event, everyone goes home with fresh sausage. Last year, Kaldunski and his guests produced more than 1,000 pounds.

One of the greatest advantages of making your own sausage, he says, is that you have complete control over the ingredients. Does he have a secret ingredient he keeps to himself? “Yes,” Kaldunski chuckled, “It’s passion and love.”

For more information or to sign up for Kaldunski’s workshop at the SRJC, visit srjcce.augusoft.net.