From Guest Blogger Umit Celebi, who also took these photos:

The other day, my favorite political analyst was on television. Referring to the health care bill, this man (who had previously worked for presidents from both parties and is generally acknowledged to be a model of objectivity) said the following: “There’re two things you never want to see being made: sausage and legislation.”

This post is about sausage. But your fright’s been canceled because the fine folks from DiPaola Turkeys have a product that will make you wish you were present at its creation. Fresh as fresh can be and perfectly seasoned -- this sausage is one of the finest meats you'll ever meet. You’ll find the sausage at a DiPaola stall at one of the many Greenmarkets in New York City. Ask for a bag of their uncased mild turkey sausage. Weighing in at about a pound and a half, this purchase will cost you $10.

Pressed as to how they come up with this lovely stuff, the friendly folks from DiPaola would only say it’s an old family secret.  However sources close to the second-generation family-run farm, who spoke to me on condition of anonymity, say it’s made from the thigh meat of never-frozen, free-range, antibiotic-free turkeys at the company’s farms in Mercer County, N.J. Salt, black pepper, garlic, nutmeg, anise and fennel seeds are mixed into the grinder along with the meat.

The beauty of DiPaola uncased mild turkey sausage is that it’s so packed with flavor you can effortlessly enhance everyday dishes.

To prepare it as part of a pasta sauce, take the entire contents of the bag and, with your hand, flatten it all out to an even thickness on an oiled skillet. Once the meat begins to cook, use a fork to mince the meat, leaving it chunky if that’s your preference or going on to mince it more finely. (Just like any other bird, turkey should be fully cooked and not served even medium-rare. But there is a point where you can overcook it, too, so start to taste the sausage after it’s uniformly brown and make your own call.)

Once cooked, combine the sausage with a sauce – marinara or pesto – and pour it over cooked pasta of your choice. One bag of sausage matches well with a typical 500-gram bag of pasta.

Another favorite preparation is to shape the sausage into small patties and cook them on an oiled skillet. The cooked patties make a lovely main dish accompanied with orzo, rice or bulgur.

Both of these dishes feed four, so you might want to freeze part of the bag if you’re cooking for fewer. (The turkey will freeze for months, but unfrozen, it should be cooked within one week.)

DiPaola Turkeys sets up shop to sell sausage on these days at the following NYC Greenmarkets:

Wednesday
Dag Hammerskjold Plaza, Union Square

Thursday
Columbia, Tucker Square

Friday
97th Street, Union Square

Saturday
Abingdon Square, Fort Greene Park, Grand Army Plaza, Greenpoint/McCarren Park, Inwood, TriBeCa, Tucker Square

Sunday
Columbia, Cortelyou, Tompkins Square

For those of you not able to get to New York, try your local uncased mild turkey sausage (or just remove the casings yourself). Let me know how it turns out. A happy, healthy and delicious 2010, everybody!

Umit Celebi is an actor who has lived in neighborhoods all over Manhattan. He currently resides near Ground Zero with his wife, Kate, and their daughters, Ajda and Mavi. His new blog, Eat Me in Manhattan!, appears periodically here on Kitchen Scoop.