Pork & Fennel Sausages

These sausages are inspired by the great Antonio Carluccio. When we tried them, they were so delicious. Try to find the best minced pork you can get your hands on and also use a good red wine. We used a good red Chianti. Italian sausages...Italian wine :) The secret in getting good sausages is to mix the meaty mixture for a long time by hand!!! This makes sure that all the ingredients are infused into the meat. As with all sausages you can grill them, BBQ them, fry them...whatever you desire. When they were done I dipped them in some pre-made Caponata but if you cannot find it a good red bell pepper sauce like Ajvar will do just fine or ketchup or whatever you fancy!! To prepare about 12 sausages you will need...

• 1kg minced pork
• 1 red chilli, de-seeded & chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
• 120ml red wine (We used Chianti)
• 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How to...

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them well by hand. 
2. Shape them up into 12 equally sized sausages.
3. Heat a pan with some olive oil and fry them until done from both sized, about 10 minutes or until cooked through. You can also grill them.
4. Serve them with any sauce you like.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Romanian Aubergine Dip - Salata de Vinete

This Romanian speciality is an aubergine based dip or spread that is usually served on toast with sliced tomatoes. It is very tasty and easy to prepare. It is great served as a snack or starter to your meals. It is very popular in Romania. To prepare it you will need...

• 1 large aubergine
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Sliced tomatoes, to serve
• Salad, to serve
• Toasted bread, to serve

How to...

1. Prick the aubergine with a fork in various places.
2. Grill it until the skin is charred from all sides.
3. When done, peel it carefully and scoop the flesh out on a chopping board. Chop the aubergine flesh very finely. Put in a bowl, add the onion, salt & mix well. Add the mayonnaise and mix again.
4. Toast a couple of slices of bread and spread it over. Serve with sliced fresh tomatoes if you wish.

Enjoy!!
R&A

Fusilli Pasta Bake with Breadcrumb Topping

We are big fans of creating dishes with whatever we have in our cupboards & fridge. These dishes usually turn out to be a great success and most of all very very tasty. Like this one for example, I decided to give the usual plate of pasta a twist by adding a couple of ingredients like breadcrumbs and grated hard cheese and then put it in the oven to get a nice crunchy pasta dish. It is very simple to prepare, so just give it a go...you will need...

• 300g fusilli
• 500ml tomato passata
• 2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced [optional]
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Half teaspoon sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 100g grated Kefalotiri or Parmigiano cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Handful of pangrattato or stale breadcrumbs

How to...

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Add a tbsp of olive oil to a pan and fry the onion until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes (preferably covered). Add the chillies and garlic and stir fry for a further 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the passata, sugar, oregano and ground black pepper. Stir well and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. In the meantime cook the fusilli al dente. Make sure you do not overcook the pasta.
5. When the sauce & pasta are cooked, drain the pasta and put back in the pasta pot. Add the sauce, a good amount of extra virgin olive oil and about 2 tbsp of grated cheese. Mix well but slowly, not to break the fusilli.
6. Pour slowly into a small ovenproof container. Cover the pasta with a handful of breadcrumbs and the remainder of the cheese.
7. Put in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the breadcrumbs & cheese are golden brown.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Pumpkin & Sausage Casserole

I was browsing the net for Halloween recipes and came across this one. We did this casserole on Halloween weekend and loved it. It is so comforting and warm. Pumpkins around Halloween are very very cheap so we make sure we buy the biggest one for as cheap as £1. Make sure you use good quality sausages (for all our followers in Malta, Maltese sausages will do just fine)...we used Pork & Apple sausages. You can top it up with a dollop of sour cream or why not serve it with some mashed potatoes. So give it a go...you will need...

• 50g butter
• 6 medium sized good quality sausages
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 3 banana shallots [small elongated shaped shallots], finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 800g diced pumpkin
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree in 100ml boiling water
• 400g can Cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 400ml chicken stock or 1 cube 400ml boiling water
• Salt & ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley, to serve
• 4 tbsp sour cream, to serve

How to...

1. Preheat the oven to 180°/Gas mark 4.
2. Heat half the butter and fry the sausages on medium heat until browned, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining butter and add the onions, shallots and fry for a further 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and sage and cook for a further 3 minutes always on medium heat.
4. Add the pumpkin and tomato puree with water. Stir the mixture thoroughly but slowly. Add the vinegar and increase the heat to high and heat until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.
5. Add the sugar, beans, chopped tomatoes, stock, salt & pepper. Stir well and bring the pot to boil.
6. Turn off the heat and put into a large casserole. Put in the oven for about an hour or until the pumpkin is soft and cooked.
7. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and chopped parsley or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!!

R&A