These Flinders Ranges-inspired kangaroo and pork sausages embody the taste of the outback, with warrigal greens and fennel butter noodles.

Recipe Rosa Matto | Photographs Brendan Homan | Styling Natalie Homan

Kangaroo and pork sausages with barbecue sauce, warrigal greens and fennel butter noodles

Kangaroo and pork sausage
1kg kangaroo rump, minced coarsely
1kg pork shoulder (ensure pork is fatty)
1 tbsp dried wild fennel seeds, plus 2 tbsp extra for the noodles
1 tbsp ground dried bush tomato
1 tbsp mountain pepper, ground finely
20g salt
1 clove garlic, freshly minced
3.5 metres natural pork casing

Mix all ingredients except the casing. Fry a small amount and taste it. Adjust seasonings accordingly. Fill casings using a sausage filler and allow to shape itself into a spiral. Skewer the spiral with a wild fennel stem or rosemary stem. If you can’t get casings, shape the meat into “cevapcici” lengths and fry them. To fry your spirals, heat up some extra virgin olive oil in a cast iron pan and sear the sausage, turn down the heat and allow to cook through on both sides, it will take 15 minutes as the sausage is quite dense.

Barbecue sauce
makes approximately 300ml
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tsp river mint
2 tbsp bush tomato, chopped into small pieces
1 can tomatoes, diced or crushed
1 tsp cooking salt
1 tsp mountain pepperberries, crushed
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar

For barbecue sauce, heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook briefly until soft, but not golden. Add river mint and bush tomato. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well then bring to a simmer. Reduce and cook for 30 minutes or until thick and glossy.

Warrigal spinach noodles
500g plain flour
3 eggs
250g warrigal greens (tetragonia, an edible groundcover)
salt
2 tbsp butter
fried sourdough breadcrumbs
Blanch greens in salted water, squeeze very dry and puree.

Make a pasta dough using all the ingredients, except the butter and crumbs.  Add more flour if necessary while you are kneading to make a soft dough. Allow to rest 1 hour then roll out to 1mm thick and cut into strips approximately
1.5cm x 25cm long. Boil in salted water until al dente. Drain and toss in butter with dried wild fennel seeds. Sprinkle fried sourdough breadcrumbs over the top.

LOCAL FOODS: kangaroo and pork, native ingredients
WHERE TO BUY FOR CITY SLICKERS: Frewville and Pasadena Foodland, Something Wild Adelaide Central Market
LOCAL BEVERAGE PAIRING:  Jacka Brothers beer, Melrose

 

This article first appeared in the June 2023 issue of SALIFE magazine.