Recipes: Five ways with...Sausages

Published on Saturday 6 March 2010 12:42

SAUSAGES have featured in the writings of the ancient Greeks, the Egyptians and the early Romans, who also gave them their name from the Latin salsus, meaning salted. They were a result of economical butchery and a palatable way of using every edible and nutritious scrap of an animal.

This early form of charcuterie was raised to an art form in the Middle Ages, when the improved availability of seasonings and the development of new techniques increased the variety and taste of this convenience food.

1 Bangers for mash

Dash olive oil; 2-3 sausages per person; 50g butter; 4 large onions, sliced; salt; pepper; 2 garlic cloves, mashed; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 glass red wine; 1 lt beef stock; 1 sprig thyme; dash mushroom ketchup (optional); 1 tbsp grain mustard

Heat the olive oil and colour the sausages on all sides. Remove and keep warm. Add butter and cook the onions slowly with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic and sugar and cook for five minutes. Add the wine and allow to thicken before adding the stock, thyme and ketchup. Let this reduce for 20 minutes. Add the mustard and adjust the seasoning before putiing the sausages back in. Put the dish in an oven heated to 180C/ 350F/gas mark 4 for 30 minutes, turning the sausages every ten minutes. Serve with mash made from floury potatoes, cream, butter and chopped parsley.

2 Spicy sausage bread pudding

50g butter; 350g spicy sausage; 300g day-old country-style loaf, cubed; 175g corn kernels; 1 jalapeno pepper, minced; 1 red pepper, chopped; 100g mild cheddar, grated; 6 eggs; 500ml milk

Melt the butter and pour into a 30cm x 23cm baking dish, swirling around to coat the sides. Crumble the sausage and brown in a frying pan, then drain on kitchen roll. Layer the dish with half of the bread, corn, chilli and red pepper. Sprinkle with all the sausage and half of the cheese, then repeat. Whisk the eggs, add the milk and whisk again. Season and pour over the pudding. Refrigerate overnight. Sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking in the oven at 175C/325F/gas mark 3 for 50 to 60 minutes.

3 Kale and chorizo soup

Splash oil; 600g fresh chorizo, thickly sliced; 1 onion, diced; 2 garlic cloves, diced; 1kg potato, peeled and diced; 200g kale, chopped; 1 litre chicken stock

Heat the oil in a soup pan over a gentle heat. Saut the sausage and onions for 20 minutes, until the onions are soft. Stir in the garlic and potatoes and cook for ten minutes. Add the kale and stock and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, then serve with crusty bread.

4 Venison sausage casserole

Dash olive oil; 500g venison sausages; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 garlic clove, chopped; 200g smoked bacon, chopped; 1 tbsp plain flour; 375ml red wine; 2 bay leaves; 3 juniper berries, bruised; 1 tsp rosemary, chopped; 200g mushrooms, chopped; 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

Brown the sausages in the olive oil in a casserole pan, then remove. Add the onion, garlic and bacon and cook for ten minutes. Return the sausages, then stir in the flour until the juices are absorbed. Add the red wine and herbs. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat low and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover, add the mushrooms and cook for 20 minutes. Check the seasoning and add the jelly.

5 Bigos

savoy cabbage, shredded; 1 litre jar sauerkraut; 450g pork sausage, cubed; 200g bacon, cubed; 450g kielbasa (Polish sausage), cubed; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; paprika; 1 bay leaf

Boil the cabbage and drain. In a separate pot, cook the sauerkraut for ten minutes in 500ml of water, then drain, reserving the liquid. Brown the bacon, sausage, onion and garlic in a pan. Add all the other ingredients and season. Add some of the reserved water. Gently stew on the stove for an hour. Add more water if needed. Serve with crusty bread and mashed potato.