Sausage & Onion Tomato Sauce

A family favourite, this sauce became one of my favourites when I was a kid and stayed that way since then. In Malta my mom used to prepare it using the unique Maltese sausage but here in England we use local sausages such as Lincolnshire sausages and also Cumberland sausages. It is very easy to prepare and wanted to share this recipe with you. For four people you will need...

• 8 Lincolnshire or Cumberland sausages (if using Maltese sausages use 4)
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 500ml thick tomato passata
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• Grated Kefalotiri or Parmesan, to serve

How to...

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a shallow pan, add the sausages and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. 
2. Now add the onions and cook until onions are soft and transparent. Season with black pepper.
3. Add passata and simmer covered for about 20 minutes.
4. Serve with cooked pasta and sprinkle with the grated cheese and more black pepper.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Dutch Stamppot with Merguez Sausage

This Dutch dish is a very simple one but very tasty, it is basically mashed potatoes and vegetables. In Holland it is sometimes served with Rookwurst (a smoky Dutch sausage) but we used Merguez which is a North African spicy sausage. If you cannot find Merguez you can also use fresh chorizo if you like or even Cumberland sausages. Traditionally the potatoes are boiled apart but recently potatoes and veg have been boiled together and then mashed. Dutch people love making a hole in the middle of the mashed veg and pouring gravy in it. This dish is very similar to Bubble & Squeak (in England) and Colcannon (in Ireland). It is quite a filling dish and very easy to prepare. You will need...

• 500g potatoes, diced
• 400g pumpkin or butternut squash, diced
• 4 medium carrots, sliced
• 2 large parsnips, sliced
• 1 large turnip or swede, chopped
• 1 leek, washed and sliced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 200g kale or Savoy cabbage, washed and shredded
• 50g butter
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 4-6 Merguez sausages [or Cumberland sausages]

1. Place all the chopped vegetables, apart from the kale in a large steam pot and steam for 20 minutes. [Alternatively, boil the vegetables].
2. Cook the sausages to your liking, we grilled ours. 
3. Whilst the sausages are cooking, steam the kale for 7½ minutes.
4. When the vegetables are cooked, drain well and roughly mash them with the butter, salt & pepper. Add the steamed kale and stir in the mashed vegetables.
5. Serve the mash in the middle of the plate and top with the cooked sausages. You can also serve with gravy or a spicy chilli & tomato sauce!

Enjoy!!

R&A

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

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