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Sausage and apple casserole

Sausage and apple casserole

I don't think you can have enough recipes for a sausage casserole although when I photographed it this time I actually used chipolatas! Kids love sausages and yes, the adults here do as well. I make this dish quite often because the ingredients used in it is all stuff I have in stock all the time plus my trusty rosemary bush in the garden. The wholegrain mustard I usually cook with is from the Chain Bridge Honey Farm near Berwick-upon-Tweed. If you happen to be lucky to be in Northumberland do pay it a visit or find a stockist of their fine produce. Obviously other wholegrain mustard can be used!

As I said before I cook this with both sausages and chipolatas. The chipolatas weighed 375g while a standard pack of 8 sausages is around 450g. Whatever the weight just use the number of sausages it requires to feed all the family. I don't buy any special apples for this recipe either – just use whatever you have in your fruit bowl. On this occasion it happened to be a Royal Gala.

Click here for a printable recipe. 

Serves 4

Equipment: A 12in (30cm) round casserole dish that can be used to fry in and is oven-proof or 1 large frying pan and oven-proof dish.

Ingredients

1 tbsp (15ml) Oil, sunflower or vegetable

1 Onion, sliced

2 Carrots, sliced

1 Garlic clove, crushed

375g – 450g Sausages or chipolatas

1 tbsp (15ml) Plain flour

1 tbsp (15ml) Tomato purée

2 tsp (10ml) Wholegrain mustard

1 tsp (5ml) Paprika

1 tbsp (15ml) Fresh rosemary taken off the stalks

2 tsp |(10ml) Vinegar

½ pint (300ml) Chicken stock

1 Apple, sliced

Method

1. Pre -heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.

2. Heat the oil in the casserole dish/frying pan. Fry the onions, carrots, garlic and sausages until the sausages start to brown.

3. Add the flour to the pan and cook for a minute, stirring.

4. In a small dish or jug mix together the tomato purée, mustard, paprika, rosemary, vinegar and stock. Pour into pan and bring to the boil. Keep stirring it until it starts to thicken.

5. If necessary transfer it to an oven-proof dish.

6. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes and then add the apple slices and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Bangers & Mash Pie - GreenVale Farm Fresh Potatoes Review

Bangers and Mash Pie

Store Cupboard Barbecue Sauce

 Quick and easy BBQ sauce

The grey clouds have been lingering all day with a constant threat of rain until suddenly the sun is spotted. Before you know it's the best part of the day and the chance for a BBQ has to to be seized. A quick rifle through the kitchen cupboards and freezer and you're clutching some hotdogs, sausages and some pieces of unidentifiable meat. The problem is you have nothing to go with it. A quick and easy sauce would be the answer; something made with stuff you already have at home...

The good people at Kikkoman sent me a selection of their soy sauces and marinade to try out and of course soy sauce is the perfect store cupboard essential. Whilst many people associate soy sauce with just oriental dishes there are many other uses for it and it is a vital ingredient in this tangy BBQ accompaniment.

Ingredients

1 tbsp (15ml) Oil, sunflower or vegetable

1 Onion, chopped

2 tbsp (30ml) Sweet or country pickle or dark fruit chutney

2 tsp (10ml) Kikkoman Soy Sauce

2 tbsp (30ml)Tomato purée

¼ tsp (1.25ml) Caster sugar

1 tsp (5ml) Dijon mustard

1 tbsp (15ml) Vinegar

2 tbsp (30ml) Cornflour

¼ pint (150ml) Water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onions until softened.

2. In a bowl mix together the pickle, Kikkoman Soy Sauce, tomato purée, sugar, mustard and vinegar.

3. Whisk the mixture until fully combined and then pour into the saucepan.

4. Add the cornflour to the water and stir.

5. Pour into the saucepan and then heat until just boiling and the sauce has thickened.

6. Serve with the barbecue meat of your choice.

Kikkoman sent me the Soy Sauce for free. No payment was made for writing this post.

Mini Toad in the Hole

Mini Toad in the Hole

Anybody reading a few entries on this blog will have probably realised by now that not much enters into Jibber Jabber Towers if it isn't free, reduced or on offer. I believe though that a food bargain isn't really a bargain if it is something you wouldn't usually buy and you just scoff it as an extra. So when I spotted a packet of cocktail sausages with nearly 50% off I knew they shouldn't just be left open on the table so anyone could come and pinch one. The only thing that should be done with these is make them in easy and tasty dinner for all. Alternatively, you you serve these as originally intended at a party or buffet but show your guests that you have made more of an effort than simply chucking some sausages in a bowl. 

Toad in the hole may not seem like the height of gastronomy or indeed a dish that many people need to be told how to make. However, the idea of giving you this recipe is a little inspiration as something different to do with a pack of cooked cocktail sausages and also the right amount of ingredients needed, plus the cooking times. As the sausages take up most of the space in the hole you really don't need much batter mixture.

I've proportioned the cost of the ingredients: Sausages – 89p, Flour - 2p (£1 for 1.5kg), Egg – 17p (£1 for 6 free-range large eggs), Milk – 3p (£1 for 2.27 litres). Total cost therefore is £1.11 with each portion coming in at under 28p each or just over 9p per 'Toad'.

As this has turned out to be such a cheap meal I will be putting it forward to March 2013's Credit Crunch Munch which is hosted jointed by Camilla at Fab Food 4 All and this month's host Helen at Fuss Free Flavours. 

Serves 4 as a main meal or 12 party/buffet portions.

Equipment

You will need a non-stick 12-cup bun tin.

Ingredients

Pack of cooked cocktail sausages (packet says approx 35 but there was 37 in it)

1oz (28g) plain flour

1 large egg

2½ fl oz (70ml) milk

To serve: Potatoes of your choice (we had mashed), vegetables (we had carrots and sugarsnap peas in  the fridge) plus gravy.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/ Fan 200°C/ Gas Mark 7

2. Arrange the sausages in the bun tin. You should be able to get 3 in each hole.

3. Cook the sausages for 10 minutes. While they are cooking prepare your batter mixture.

4. In a bowl the egg to the flour and beat together. Add the milk and beat again until all the ingredients are combined. You don't need to worry about lumps.

5. When the sausages have cooked for 10 minutes pour the batter mixture into each hole.

6. Cook for a further 15 minutes.

7. Serve with the potatoes and vegetables of your choice.

Sausage & Pepper Pasta

I could big up this dish a little more. Perhaps 'Sausage & Pepper Pasta' isn't fancy enough and I should stick 'supper' at the end of the title or call it a 'stew'; only it doesn't cook for that long. It has a slight kick to it but nothing that will blow your head off or have the kids spitting it out. It does though have the things that kids love, namely sausages, tomato sauce and pasta. I've listed two separate ingredients for this recipe – one meat and one vegetarian. My only gripe with the vegetarian version is that this recipe is for 4 people so I allow 2 sausages each and the vegetarian sausages I use come in packs of 6 rather than 8 (please rectify this just me Quorn and Cauldron).

Although the recipe includes peppers as well if you haven't got any or don't like them this still makes a very tasty tomato sauce to have with sausages and onions.

Serves 4

Meat Ingredients                                              Vegetarian Ingredients

8 Pork sausages                                         8 Vegetarian sausages

1 tbsp (15ml) Oil                                        1 tbsp (15ml) Oil

1 Large onion, sliced                                   1 Large onion, sliced

1 Red pepper, sliced                                    1 Red pepper, sliced

1 Yellow pepper, sliced                                1 Yellow pepper, sliced

2 Cloves garlic, crushed                               2 Cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp (5ml) Paprika                                     1 tsp (5ml) Paprika

Tin of chopped tomatoes                             Tin of chopped tomatoes

½ pint (284ml) Chicken stock                       ½ pint (284ml) Vegetable stock

1 tsp (5ml) dried oregano                            1 tsp (5ml) dried oregano

1 tsp (5ml) Demerara sugar                         1 tsp (5ml) Demerara sugar

½ tsp (2.5ml) Worcestershire Sauce              ½ tsp (2.5ml) Vegetarian     

                                                               Worcestershire Sauce or                                                                Henderson's Relish

Salt and Pepper to taste                                Salt and Pepper to taste

10oz (300g) Dried pasta                             10oz (300g) Dried pasta

Parmesan, grated to sprinkle on top             Vegetarian Italian hard cheese,  

                                                               grated to sprinkle on top

Method

1. In a large saucepan heat the oil and cook the sausages until evenly browned.

2. Remove the sausages from the pan and drain on a piece of kitchen paper.

3. Using the same oil fry the onions until just softened.

4. Put the peppers in the pan and fry for another 3-4 minutes.

5. Add the remaining ingredients except for the sausages and mix well.

6. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. While the mixture is cooking slice the sausages and then add to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes.

8. Cook the pasta while the sausage sauce is simmering.

9. Serve the pasta and sausages together with the grated cheese on top.