A simple sausage supper

Back to the haul of sausages, which we brought back from our trip to Finnebrogue, the wonderful establishment for the creation of delicious gluten free meat products, situated in a fabulous setting just outside Belfast.

We have had some splendid sausage butties, topped off with chunky tomato chutney or some Tewkesbury mustard, with the lovely piggy pieces tucked between some home made bread.  Bliss.

This is the elevation of a British classic beyond its humble origins.

Our toad in the hole has been given a lift too, with the addition of some chopped apple, as I have already recorded. Link

And there have been numerous variations on the sausage casserole theme..... One of my favourites included red onion, sundried tomatoes, fennel seed, orange peel and red wine.

Picture

Christmas saw pigs in blankets two ways, as they would say on Masterchef. The first blanket being bacon wrappers for the Christmas lunch and the second made from crispy pastry for a party buffet.  For the latter I used "puppies" and some homemade chutney to create picked puppies, much to the amusement of the younger party goers. 

The recipe described below started off as a frantic fridge forage, when the evening's plans went totally awry, knocked off course by the giddy roundabout of a teenager's social life.  Food was called for, and speed was the major ingredient!!

In such circumstances, sausages are always a useful standby, quick, simple and tasty and this made a nice addition to the repertoire.

6 good quality pork sausages, I used Asda Extra special pork and leek, made by Finnebrogue

2 apples

250ml dry cider

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

200 ml double cream

Skin the sausages, core and quarter the apples, then cut each quarter into 4 chunks

Break up the sausage meat. Heat 1tblsp rapeseed oil in a prospector pan.

Add the sausage meat and cook until browned all over.

Add the apples and continue to cook until they take on a little colour.

Add the cider and simmer for 20 minutes.

Mix the mustard with the cream and stir into the sausage mix. Simmer for a further 20 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Scatter a handful of pumpkin seeds on top and serve with linguine.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2017

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

First wild garlic of the year

It's incredibly early this year - I don't think I have ever seen the wild garlic coming up in February, but tonight I picked my first small harvest along the banks of the River Severn.

I've got loads of ideas to try out, but when we posted a video of tonight's dinner on Instagram, the response was phenomenal, so I've decided to share this one straight away.

To be honest, it's not really a recipe, I haven't weighed out the ingredients or meticulously timed anything.
This is just a simple, throw together sauce that's ready in 15 minutes.

Large handful of wild garlic, washed
3 large, ripe tomatoes
2 tblsp olive or rapeseed oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tblsp white wine vinegar
50g butter

Put a panful of your favourite pasta on to boil.

Roughly chop the garlic and blanch with approx 100ml boiling water.
Blend to a puree.

Put the oil into a frying pan and heat gently.
Chop the tomatoes and add to the frying pan. Fry gently until starting to soften.
Add the salt, sugar, vinegar and garlic puree.

Simmer until the pasta is cooked.
Strain the pasta.  Stir the butter into the tomato sauce and when it has melted, add as much grated cheese as you fancy - anything you can lay your hands on - I used a mature Cheddar tonight.
Pour over the pasta, mix well and serve.

 © Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2016

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Wild garlic season again

Regular readers of this blog will know about my passion for wild garlic - abundant, easy to recognise, versatile, good for you and downright tasty.

Here are a few more ideas for what to do with this seasonal sensation.

First of all, pop the kettle on, as you'll need some boiling water.....

Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and wild garlic puree

Cook as much spaghetti as you fancy eating in a large pan of boiling water.

Meanwhile, heat a large knob of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a casserole dish 

Add 6 to 8 cherry tomatoes per person and cook gently until beginning to collapse.

Blanch 1 handful of wild garlic per person with the boiling water, strain and blitz to a puree with a stick mixer or in the food processor.

Add the garlic to the tomatoes with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and a knob of butter.

Warm through for around 5 minutes.

Strain the spaghetti, serve into warmed bowls and spoon over the tomato and garlic sauce.

You can add grilled Halloumi, crumbled feta or grated Parmesan to the finished dish if you wish.

White bean and wild garlic pate

                                       
Blanch a large handful of wild garlic, strain.
Drain and rinse a can of cannellini beans.

Put the beans and garlic into a food processor, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of ½ lemon.
Mix until you have a smooth puree.
Serve with hot toast.

Finally, I added a handful of chopped wild garlic to a cheese souffle made with Red Leicester cheese, but you'll just have to take my word for that, as it disappeared before I got the chance to photograph it.


© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2015