One thing I always have plenty of in the freezer are sausages. I buy them in large packs at Costco and then break them down into 8 sausage packages, packing them into double freezer bags, ready to cook whenever the mood hits. Costco has really good sausages, both Italian and regular.
School dinners were not part of the school day when I was going to school. We had to bring our lunch from home, and so it was always cold sandwiches. Todd, however, was always privy to School Dinners. In fact his parents relied upon them to make sure he had a decent hot meal every day.
He says he always loved them. I have heard tales from both sides of the coin. Some people loved them, others hated them. I think I would have come from the love camp.
Curried sausages is not something I would have ever thought of making prior to coming here to the UK. We didn't do curry very much at all, but it was something we enjoyed occasionally, usually made with chicken.
Here in the UK it is almost a National Dish, right up there with fish and chips! People just love their curries. You can get them at every chippy and there is always a curry sauce option for pouring over your chips.
I confess I have not tried that yet. Looking at it, it is always a really bright yellow colour, probably from lots of tumeric . . . I'll take ketchup thank you very much!
Curried Sausage is something which Todd enjoys from his school days. He loves his bangers and mash anyways, usually with an onion gravy, but he also really loves them with a curry sauce. And yes, also with mash.
These are actually very, VERY good. And yes, with mash.
I remove the sausages from their skins before cooking, rolling them into balls as best as I can, so that they brown more evenly. You also add a quantity of onion and garlic.
Use the best sausage your money can buy. I use a good meaty sausage without a lot of fillers. I hate cheap and pasty sausages. There is only one word to describe them. YUCK. You get what you pay for.
I like to add some vegetables to the sauce. Normally I cook carrots just until crispy tender and add them to the sauce along with frozen peas. I thaw the peas first. I dare say that the ones Todd had in his school dinners were probably well over cooked . . . most vegetables were back in the day.
These are lovely and fresh, crispy tender. The peas are frozen, thawed, and basically just heated through for a few minutes so they retain that lovely colour. Altogether this is delicious!
School Dinner Curried Sausages
Yield: 4
Author: Marie Rayner
Such a simple dish, but oh so tasty. Makes a real change from regular sausage and mash!
Ingredients:
a splash of oil for frying
8 plump pork sausages (use the best you can afford)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
1 TBS medium curry powder
3 TBS plain flour
480ml hot chicken broth (2 cups)
1 TBS mango chutney
salt and black pepper to taste
150g frozen peas, thawed (1 cup)
hot mashed potatoes to serve
Instructions:
How to cook School Dinner Curried Sausages
Put your carrots into a saucepan of boiling water and cook until crispy tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Remove the skins from your sausages and discard. Cut the sausages into 4 to 5 bits, and kind of roll the bits into balls.
Heat about 1/2 TBS of oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage balls and brown them all over on all sides until cooked through. Scoop out onto paper towels to drain while you make the sauce.
Add the chopped onion to the drippings in the pan. Cook over moderate heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Stir in the curry powder and cook until fragrant. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. At the end of that time whisk in the chicken broth, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the chutney. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Return the sausages to the pan along with the cooked carrots and frozen peas. Cook and heat through until everything is bubbling.
Serve hot and spooned over mashed potatoes.
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I had taken some sausages out of the freezer to cook for our supper last night, thinking I was going to cook them with some onions, apples and apple juice, only to discover today that I had no apple juice. I really should have checked before I took the sausages out . . .
I have had this Mary Berry Cookbook, called Mary Berry Absolute Favourites, based on the television series of the same name, and I am ashamed to say I haven't used it.
I just love Mary Berry, don't you? I really miss seeing her on the GBBO. To me, its just not the same without her. I love all of her television shows as well. She seems like a genuinely nice person. This book contains over 100 brand new, simple and satisfying recipes from one of her latest cooking series, and I really have no excuse for not having used it before, as the recipes in it all seem sound and quite delicious!
I was drawn to the bright colours of this dish! I also liked that I was easily able to cut it in half to just feed two people.
I hate wasting food, and so I tend to freeze my sausages in 6 sausage lots, and I had only taken one lot out.
I buy my sausages at Costco. They are just lovely. I usually get a mix of Italian and Cumberland, and then break them down and freeze them in lots.
Her original recipe called for baby new potatoes, cut in half. I did not have baby new potatoes, so I used medium white potatoes, skin left on and cut into quarters.
I used dry thyme, and reserved some fresh thyme leaves for garnishing the finished dish.
When you peel your onion, make sure you leave the root end as intact as you can, so that when you cut it into sixths the wedges don't break apart and they stay whole while roasting.
I think a mix of red and yellow peppers would also be very nice, and pretty colourful, as would red onion.
If you line your baking tray with aluminium foil, there won't be any pan to wash up either. Perfect for these busy days we are in the middle of.
You do need a bit of white wine, but if you don't have it, I think either white grape juice or apple juice would also work very well in its place.
It helps to keep the sausages from drying out and they become almost sticky. We enjoyed this with dollops of grainy mustard on the side. I had thought to do a salad, but then forgot. In all truth we were both very satisfied with just this!
Roasted Sausage & Potato Supper
Yield: 2
Author: Marie Rayner
A delicious recipe adapted from Mary Berry perfectly sized for two. Quick and easy also. You can add an extra vegetable on the side, but this is surprisingly filling.
ingredients:
6 thick pork sausages (I like Cumberland)
1 medium red bell pepper, trimmed, seeded, cut into chunks
2 medium potatoes, washed, dried and cut into quarters
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into sixths
1 TBS olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
100ml white wine ( 3.5 fluid ounces)
fresh thyme leaves to garnish if desired
grainy mustard to serve
instructions:
How to cook Roasted Sausage & Potato Supper
Preheat the oven to 220*/425*F/ gas mark 7. Have ready a baking tray with sides, large enough to hold everything in a single layer.
Put the sausages, potatoes, onions, and red pepper chunks into a bowl and toss together with some salt, pepper and the dried thyme leaves. Mix together with your hands and then spread out onto the baking tray, making sure that nothing is piled on top of the other.
Roast in the preheated oven for 1/2 hour. Remove from the oven. flip over the sausages. Pour the wine around them in the baking tray. Return to the oven and roast for a further 15 to 20 minutes. The pork juices should run clear and the vegetables should be tender.
Transfer to a heated serving dish, garnish with some fresh thyme leaves and serve with some grainy mustard.
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I hope you will give this a go and that you enjoy it! Next time I might roast some sweet potatoes and carrots in place of the peppers, and use red onions! I can't believe it is already Thursday! Can YOU? This month is already whizzing by!
My husband is a real meat and potatoes fan. He could quite happily have meat and potatoes every night of the week and never tire of it! He especially loves pork chops or sausages!
They have beautiful sausage here in the UK. They have nasty ones as well (think cheap and filled with lots of fillers, pasty textured, blecch). But I think that is the same anywhere. If you are open to paying a bit more there are loads of beautiful sausages you can buy for your family.
In my opinion a good sausage will contain at least 70% of good quality meat with the remainder being seasonings, fat (you need fat in a good sausage) and rusks or bread crumbs. I have had really low fat sausages and have always found them to be hard and dry. You need fat in a sausage or why bother to have one! Fat adds flavour and is a part of what makes them succulent and delicious.
Here in the UK there are literally hundreds of different kinds/flavours of sausage. Most butchers will have their own speciality sausages. The butcher who used to be down at the Parade where I live had gorgeous ones. Sadly he closed down. Just couldn't compete with the big grocery shops I think, which was a real shame.
There is nothing nicer than a well made Butchers sausage. Well worth every penny. Most areas in the UK also have their speciality sausages as well, such as Gloucester, Cumberland, Lincolnshire, Manchester, Oxford, Yorkshire, etc. They even have square sausage known as the Lorne Sausage, generally composed of pork and beef and served cut into slices. It comes from Scotland. I have seen it at Costco, and been tempted to buy, but haven't tried it as of yet. It would be great in sandwiches I think!
You can get apple and leek sausages, leek sausages, mustard and caramelised onion, Stilton and cranberry, etc. There is really no end to the variety out there!
My favourites are Cumberland. They are nicely spiced and peppery. You can get them in links or coiled up (Catherine Wheels). The best are found right in Cumbria itself. I remember buying beautiful ones for our supper when we were staying up there one year. My taste buds still tingle when I think of them! They were so delicious!
Yes, I am a foodie through and through and the food we get to eat and try when we are on holiday is (truth be told) has always been the best part of any holiday for me!
This is a very autumnal recipe I am sharing here with you today. Hearty, rich and comforting.
Plump, perfectly browned sausages, braised in a beautifully flavoured gravy . . . rich and lush . . .
Filled with the flavours of earthy and oniony leeks . . . tart cooking apple, sweet apple juice and sharp grainy mustard . . . along with the smokiness of bacon and that richness from the sausage . . .
Altogether this is a fabulously tasty dish. Hearty and beautifully flavoured. You can't go wrong. I think you are about to fall in love . . .
Yield: 4
Author: Marie Rayner
Braised Sausages with an Apple Gravy
Proper delicious bangers braised with leeks, apple and apple juice for a hearty autumn supper. Perfect served with fluffy mash and a vegetable on the side.
ingredients:
2 tsp light olive oil
8 fat good quality pork sausages (I like Cumberland)
1 medium leek, trimmed and washed
6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped
300ml cloudy apple juice (1 1/4 cup sweet apple cider)
1 large cooking apple (I used Bramley)
2 TBS grainy mustard
instructions:
How to cook Braised Sausages with an Apple Gravy
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet which has a tight fitting lid. Add the sausages and cook, turning frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown all over. Remove and set aside.
Trim the leek, removing and discarding any dark green parts. Slit down one side and rinse well, making sure any grit or dirt is gone. Cut into 3 inch lengths and then slice the lengths into 1/4 inch strips. Return the skillet to the heat and add the leeks and bacon pieces. Stir fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until the leeks have softened and the bacon is cooked. Return the sausages to the pan and pour on the apple juice. Cover tightly and braise over low heat for 30 minutes over low heat.
Peel and core the apple. Dice into 1/4 inch dice. Add to the pan, scattering it around the sausages. Cover and cook for a further 15 minutes on low, or until the apple has softened and begins to break down, and the pan juices have thickened. If you think the pan juices are too thick add some more apple juice.
Stir in the grainy mustard and heat through. Serve immediately with lots of fluffy mashed potatoes and your favourite vegetables on the side.
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Don't be tempted to use a sweet eating apple in this. You really want a tart cooking apple to offset the sweetness of the apple juice. This is just perfect . . . absolutely. We enjoyed it with fluffy hot mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.
Sausage wasn't something I enjoyed very much when I was growing up. I am not sure why. I never really began to enjoy them at all until I was a grown woman and cooking my own. I liked them almost burnt on the outside with catsup for dipping. My father enjoyed them dipped in mayonnaise. As a child growing up in Canada, in my experience at least, there was only one kind of sausage. Ordinary breakfast sausage, long thin cylinders of meat, stuffed into skins, fatty and flavoured with nutmeg and poultry seasoning. That was it. Growing up in the 50's /60's and early 70's in small communities meant that we were not exposed to outside flavours or choices. We had what we had, and that was that.
It was not until I was an adult that I experienced another kind of sausage. My sister-in-law who lived in Toronto had studied at the Cordon Bleu and was considered to be an expert in cooking. We spent the weekend at hers once, and she cooked sausages for us for breakfast. These were not the sausages of my childhood, they were plump and fat and had a fabulous flavour. She simmered them slowly in lemon water first and then browned them off in a skillet. That is when I learnt to love sausage, and in the intervening years have come to enjoy all sorts and varieties. What she served us that weekend were British Butchers Sausages and they were quite simply gorgeous in my opinion.
One of the most exciting foods I was introduced to moving over here to the UK was the great British Sausage, or Bangers as they are also lovingly called, and let me tell you, they have about as many different kinds as they do areas and counties here, a whole cornucopia of wonderful flavours, some of them quite spectacular. I have my favourites.
The word "sausage" comes from the Latin, "salsicius", prepared by salting, which in turn comes from Salsus, meaning "salted."Sausages have been produced, eaten and enjoyed in Great Britain since Roman times. The Anglo-Saxons developed their own varieties and the Normans brought French ideas into the mix, including pure pork sausages, black puddings (made with blood) and the andouille, an entrail sausage known in England as chitterlings.
You will find sausages in just about every country in the world, each with their own spin on this meat, fresh, dried and everything in between. What is it that makes British sausage stand out from the rest? What is it about British sausage that makes it so great?
For one we have such a wide variety to choose from . . . Yorkshire, Oxford . . . Cambridge, Cumberland . . . Country Pork, and those are just the basics. We stuff them with leeks and cheeses, spring onions, caramelised onions, mustard, honey, etc. We enjoy them for breakfast and we enjoy them for lunch. We love them for teatime, or high tea, and dinner. We eat them in baguettes and rolled up in puff pastry. Here in the UK, we just love our sausages, full stop!
In days of old they would have been dried and salted, perhaps even smoked, for preservation. These days for the most part however, with the modern wonders of refrigeration, we tend to enjoy them fresh. You can find them in other countries, but I have heard again and again how much people miss British Sausages where they live and how they can't find them, so first up I am going to give you a recipe which you can use to make your own homemade Basic British Pork Sausages
Basic British Pork Sausage
Yield: Makes about 16
Author: Marie Rayner
You should be able to buy the skins for these at a butchers or from an on line sausage making source. They will have been salted, which helps to preserve them, so do soak them in cold water first, preferably running water, running the water through the actual skins, and then dry with a cloth. Also cut them into 10 inch lengths, tying a knot in one end before filling. This will give you a bit of an excess but this will shrink during cooking and help to prevent them from bursting. You will need a meat grinder, or a good food processor.
ingredients:
2 pounds of boned and skinned shoulder of pork
4 pig's cheeks, trimmed
1/2 pound skinned pork back fat
1 brown onion, peeled and very finely chopped
1 1/2 TBS unsalted butter
1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced (optional)
pinch ground mace
2 slices of stale good dry white bread, crusts removed and crumbled
1 medium free range egg, beaten lightly
Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
about 4 meters (4 1/2 yards) sausage skins, well washed
25 - 50g of lard for frying (2 - 4 TBS)
instructions:
How to cook Basic British Pork Sausage
Put all of the meats through the meat grinder on a medium mince. This should give you a medium coarse finish. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can pass the meat through the grinder several more times. Cover and place the minced meat into the refrigerator.
Saute the onion and garlic in the butter along with the herbs and the mace over low heat, without browning for two to three minutes until quite soft. Let cool completely.
Take the meat out of the refrigerator and mix completely with the cooked onion mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs and egg, adding a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and some seasoning. Take care not to over do the Worcestershire sauce. To check your flavours, take a small amount and fry it in a skillet, taste and then adjust the mixture as needed.
To fill the sausage skins, you can use a sausage skin filler, or you can use a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tube, filling the bag only half full for better control.
Take the sausage skin and pull it back to the knot. Sit it over the end of the piping tube and squeeze. Once the sausage skin has been filled to the size of a standard sausage, remove the piping bag and push the meat further down the skin to give a good plump shake, pushing out any air left in the skin, then tie at the end. Repeat to fill all your sausage skins. Place onto a plate, cover and allow to rest in the refrigerator before proceeding to cook them.
They are ready to be grilled or pan-fried. Pan frying is my preferred method of cooking. Melt the lard in a heavy bottomed skillet. Lay the sausage in the hot fat and fry gently, for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until they are golden brown and cooked thoroughly. Enjoy!
Note - you can replace the shoulder and cheeks with 2 1/2 pounds of pork belly, reducing the amount of pork fat by about 1/3 of a pound.
My absolute favourite of all the sausages has to be Cumberland sausage. It is said to be the meatiest of all the sausages and has a very distinctive peppery flavour that I really enjoy. At one time they used to be made from a special breed of pig, which unfortunately died out back in the late 50's/early 60's.
One of the most recognisable features of Cumberland sausage is that it is not twisted into links, but rather long length are shaped and rolled into a "Catherine Wheel" shape. Some of them can be quite long and in Cumbria you actually buy the by the length rather than the weight. We have had some really delicious ones when we have been staying up in Cumbria, that I have never been able to find anywhere else. Traditionally they are flavoured with a mix of cayenne pepper, white pepper, ground nutmeg and salt, a combination which I find extremely delicious. Its nice and peppery. If you want to have a try at making your own (and I hope that you do), it is best for you to just pipe the meat into two or three long sausages and then coil them into Cumberlands when done. You can then pan fry, grill or roast them as desired.
Yield: Makes 2 to 3 good sized Cumberlands
Author: Marie Rayner
Cumberland Sausage
Delicious. There is no other word for them. They are lovely kept in the coil shape and secured with a skewer and cooked whole, for cutting into sections at the table.
ingredients:
1 pound lean pork shoulder, cut into rough dice
a generous 1/2 pound pork belly, rind removed, cut into rough dice
1/3 pound pork back fat, cut into rough dice
100g soft fresh white bread crumbs (1 2/3 cup)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 - 3 yards sausage skins, soaked and washed in water, cut into 2 to 3 lengths
butter, lard or cooking oil for frying
For the special Cumberland seasoning:
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground white pepper
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
instructions:
How to cook Cumberland Sausage
Mince the meats to your choice using a meat grinder on a coarse disc for one turn, and the on a medium disc for another. Mix in the bread crumbs, herbs and seasonings.
To fill the sausage skins, you can use a sausage skin filler, or you can use a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tube, filling the bag only half full for better control.
Tie a knot in one end of each length of skin.
Take the sausage skin and pull it back to the knot. Sit it over the end of the piping tube and squeeze. Once the sausage skin has been filled to the size of a standard sausage, remove the piping bag and push the meat further down the skin to give a good plump shake, pushing out any air left in the skin, then tie at the end. Repeat to fill all your sausage skins. Shape into coils and place onto a plate, cover and allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before proceeding to cook them.
To bake, preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Brush with butter and place in a roasting tray. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes basting every so often with some butter.
To pan fry, heat a skillet and add a drop of lard or cooking oil. Place the sausage into the pan and gently fry until golden on the underside (12 to 15 minutes), flip over and fry gently on the other side for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
To grill, brush with butter and place under a medium hot grill, cooking for 8 to 10 minutes per side.
TOAD IN THE HOLE - a British Comfort-food Favourite
A delightful and tasty comfort-food-recipe I discovered shortly after I arrived here was a lovely dish called Toad in the Hole. I had often heard about this British delicacy but had never had any idea of what it was let alone ever had the chance to try it. I soon learnt that it had nothing to do with holes, dirt, or even toads for that matter!
The origin of the name 'Toad-in-the-Hole' is quite vague. Most suggestions are that the dish's resemblance to a toad sticking its little head out of a hole provide the dish with its somewhat unusual name.
Yield: 2 - 3
Author: Marie Rayner
Toad in the Hole
To be sure, this is quite simply sausages baked in the oven with a delicious Yorkshire pudding batter baked around them, but there is an art to making a good one. Serve with plenty of fluffy mashed potatoes, onion gravy and a vegetable on the side.
ingredients:
2 large free range Eggs
125g Plain Flour (1 cup, minus 2 TBS)
150ml Milk (2/3 cup)
150ml Cold Water (2/3 cup)
Salt & Pepper
6 Good Quality Herby Sausages of your choosing (I like Cumberland myself)
2 tbsp Lard or Dripping or Cooking Oil
instructions:
How to cook Toad in the Hole
On a low heat cook the Sausages in a frying pan on all sides until nicely browned and sticky. Do not prick the skins! Allow to cool.
Crack open the eggs into a large measuring jug and beat well. Add the milk and water together, mixing it all together really well. Set aside.
Sift the the flour into a large bowl and season with a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Make a well in the centre. Gradually whisk in the liquid mixture, whisking until you have a stiff but smooth batter with no lumps. Allow to rest for half an hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Slip the lard or oil into a deep sided baking tin and place just this in the oven. Once it is quite hot and the fat is sizzling, quickly, but carefully, take it out and rest on the top of the hob. Pour in the Batter mixture. Then add the Sausages, parallel to each other, the length of the tin.
Place back into the oven and bake for around half an hour until the batter is puffed up, golden brown and crispy. Serve cut into squares with fluffy mashed potatoes and a delicious gravy of your own choosing.
I have quite a few recipes using sausages on here and for convenience I am leaving you with a list of them here. Each are delicious in their own right and quite enjoyable! In each case I have provided you with a link to the recipe.
