Hail To The Sausage Makers





Wednesday 29/6/2005

Back to noshblog site (click here)


Diary and Notes

Spirit, tired. Work done.
Sausage fills the aching void.
Satori as food.

A little haiku to start the day - and about sausages too. I love a good sausage (not in that way you filthy minded squirts) and would happily start a sausage blog where I ate nothing but sausages day in, day out, but that's not what I'm doing so I don't get as much sausage as I would like (this is sounding more like a Carry-On movie every line). The government may be passing laws which limit personal freedoms and have them snooping on every aspect of our lives, the G8 summit will end without any agreement on climate change and will secure no money for the poor nations of the world, it may rain, snow, hail or thunder, but if I have sausages for tea, then for just a brief moment, all feels right with the world.

There was a time, back in the dark days of 1982 when the only sausages you could buy were really bad mass produced factory line monstrosities full of rusk and gristle. Now the world has changed and there are no shortage of tasty little beasties just waiting for frying up after work. Hail to the sausage makers, hail indeed.

And because I love you all and like to leave little snippets, here's a picture of a very interesting black pudding (Boudin Antillaise) and a jaunty little ditty to cheer you up: Boudin. I know I said I love black pudding but I don't think I could force myself to eat this one.


Cake Blog

Apple and Custard Crumble: From M&S - I believe these to be the best places to buy cakes/breads anywhere in Britain. I've been to posh bakers, I've been to tradtional bakers and I've been to all the supermarkets but the bread and cakes of M&S are by far the best.


Menu

  • Sausage and Bean Hotpot
  • Simmered Courgette, Leeks and Tomato
  • Seedy Bread Rolls


    Ingredients*

    Sausage and Bean Hotpot
    6 Pork Sausages (get some good ones)
    2 Onions
    2 Cans Barlotti Beans
    250ml Chicken Stock
    6 Maris Piper Potatoes
    1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Mace
    1/2 tsp Sage
    1/2 tsp Black Pepper
    Tbsp Vegetable Oil
    Knob Butter
    		 Vegetables
    1 Leek
    1 Courgette
    2 Tomatoes
    Knob Butter
    2 Tbsp Chicken Stock
    Salt & Pepper



    Preparation

  • Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Boil in a little salted water for 5-10 minutes. Fry the sausages in a little oil until browned then add the sliced onions and keep cooking until the onions are golden. Add the mace, sage and some chicken stock and reduce to 1/2 volume. Add the beans, stir, then arranage in a casserole dish. Drain the potatoes and layer on top and spread a little butter over (my potatoes were more cooked than I'd planned and were more like mash when I put them on the beans, but it was still an excellent dinner). Bake until crispy and golden on top.
  • Thinly slice the leeks and sweat in the butter. When soft add the courgettes and a little stock. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the tomatoes (quartered). Season and allow the tomatoes to warm through.

    *****************************************************





    *All quantities are very approximate and for two quite fat people





    Jon.Borresen@GMail.com