Cyprus Sheftalia Sausage

Traditional Cyprus Sheftalia Sausage 

The traditional Cypriot Sheftalia Sausage is a must have for any Cyprus BBQ or Meze and is the perfect addition to the famous Cyprus Souvlaki kebab.

This simple yet delicious sausage is easy to make and uses natural caul fat to enclose the sausage meat. As the sausage cooks the caul fat melts away making them deliciously charred and crispy. Caul fat is a thin fatty membrane that you that can find at most good butchers.

The sausage can be made with pork or lamb shoulder or even a combination of both. It is essential for the meat to have a high-fat content (up to 30%) to create a sausage that is moist and juicy inside.

Preparation time 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

500g Pork or Lamb shoulder minced

2 Medium Onions finely chopped

6-8 tablespoons of finely chopped Flat Leaf Parsley

I teaspoon salt (to taste)

I teaspoon fresh ground pepper

I piece of Caul fat 

Preparation

Rinse the caul fat under cold running water and leave in a clean bowl to drain, any remaining odor can be removed by rinsing the caul fat in lemon, vinegar or white wine and then rinse in the water again if necessary.

Mix the mince, chopped onion, chopped parsley and the salt and pepper well in a large bowl.

Lay out the Caul fat and cut into 7 cm x 7cm Square

Place a tablespoon of the Sheftalia sausage meat mix on each piece of caul fat and fold in the edges to form the sausage shape

Cooking 

For best results place the Sheftalia onto skewers and cook over hot coals for 10-15 minutes on a Cyprus BBQ, turning occasionally.

The Sheftalia can also be cooked under a medium to hot grill if the weather is too bad to light your BBQ!.

Serving Suggestion

Serve in a warm pitta bread with lots of lemon juice, Greek Salad, and Houmous

Great as part of any meze or along with Sovuvla or Souvlaki at your family BBQ

Tips

For a little extra flavour try adding 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic and a teaspoon of cinnamon to the mix.

If you find the sheftalia mix is a little loose try adding in a slice of bread, with the crusts removed, soaked in a little water to the mix to thicken it up.

 Enjoy!