ai use to buy the Italian sausage without anise or fennel If you have the anise seed that will work.If not how about some red pepper flakes not to make it severely hot, but just a little kick.I thought I had some but don't. Any other ideas, or just leave it out?
I'm just quickly doctoring a pkg of ground pork to put in my spaghetti sauce.
Fennel is the flavor of Italian sausage. They love the herb and the bulb veg. (I do too)
Leave it out and you really have some other kind of sausage. Still probably very tasty, but different.