Sausages Part Two: Sausage and Mash Anew

This is like a big hug on a plate. It's so straightforward to do, and pretty much does all the work for you. Though it is such a simple dish, there are some good strong flavours to help lift it out of the mundane. You can really use any veg mash you like but as celeriac is my favourite and carrot compliments the sweetness in the sauce, and it's good to have an earthier vegetable like swede to balance it out. I've taken a picture of some of the ingredients because photographing cooked sausages is no easy feat. I challenge all photographers to make this and then create an appetising picture. It is feasible, but I had a hot dinner to worry about. Well, here you go:

Serves 4

A pack of sausages (I like Cumberland for this one)

2 tbsp of wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp of Dijon mustard

3 tbsp runny honey

One celeriac (small)

5 small-medium carrots

One swede (small)

2 tbsp of fresh thyme, picked from the woody stalk

Large knob of salted butter (if mash seems very dry, then add more I say)

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Chop up the veg into inch cubes so they don't take forever to cook. Cook in salted boiling water for about 20 minutes - check that they are tender before emptying the water. When you put the veg into the water put the sausages into the oven. Cook the sausages for twenty minutes and make sure you have your honey, and mustards mixed together. When the sausages are nicely browned pour the honey mustard mixture over the sausages, coat evenly and return to the oven for a further five minutes. In the last few minutes of the sausages cooking, drain the veg, add the butter and thyme and let it steam for a minute or two. Get your masher out and work quickly to combine the veg.

Give a generous scoop to each person and top with two sausages per person.

Light Lunch

If you are lucky enough to be living in a country where it is still summer, then I hope this will be a useful hint for a light summer lunch.

It is very basic, yet it beats your everyday sandwich. It is also good for you in so many ways, I like to eat this with slabs of cold salted butter just to off set that though. 

The list of ingredients is more 'say what you see' than any secret, but I'll make it clear for you anyway. This is for two hungry people:

2 honey and soy smoked mackerel fillets

2 small eating pears

1 ball of the best mozzarella  you can get your hands on

bag of roquette

1 white stonebaked flute (or any baguette you feel like eating)

chilled salted butter, for bread

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tbsp runny honey

1 1/2 tbsp good olive oil

plenty of salt and pepper

Put the lemon, honey, oil, salt and pepper into an empty jam jar and shake it until your arms ache - or ingredients are combined. Voila, your dressing is ready, and you have something to keep it in should you have dressing left over. It might be easier to double the ingredients list and just keep the rest for next time (which will come soon, I assure you).

Cut the pears into even slices and remove any core. Split the roquette between two plates, scatter with torn off chunks of the mozzarella and arrange the pears over this. Drizzle with plenty of dressing. If you are making a huge bowl for several people then just chuck everything into a bowl and toss it together lightly, there's no need for extra mess when there's just two of you.

Divide the mackerel and bread between the plates and enjoy with a large cold glass of sparkling elderflower cordial.

'Mom's The Word

Cardamom. I don't know what it is about this little green jewel of spice. Recently I have been finding as many ways as possible to get this into my cooking (and subsequently my tummy). I'm sure it's exhaustive but I've not quite reached that point yet. Today, no less, a friend of mine brought me some cardamom scented rice pudding. It does not have to be confined to the realms of dairy (NB wonderful things happen if you do decide to match it with dairy, particularly white chocolate) as this little number demonstrates:


Norwegian Cardamom Bread

By beautiful mother is a Norwegian expat, so this one is for Mother dear - who is the reason that everyone in my family is a little too excited by food. This is probably best made on a rainy afternoon when you have time to spare and other bits to do as there is a lot of resting time.


2 eggs
7 tbsp whole milk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
5 tbsp honey
1.5 tsp salt
seeds of 10 cardamom pods finely ground
400 g bread flour (15 oz)
1 tbsp yeast
3 handfuls of chopped dried apricots
6 tbsp sultanas
6 tbsp slivered almonds

egg wash:
1 egg beaten
granulated sugar to sprinkle over the top

• Sift the flour, cardamom and salt into a large mixing bowl, creating a well in the middle. Warm the milk and stir in the yeast. Crack the eggs into the well and add the oil, milk mixture and honey and begin to mix with the dry ingredients. Add the nuts and dried fruit half way through as the dough starts to come together and mix well until it has come into a dough.
• Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well for fifteen minutes. Cover with either a damp, CLEAN tea towel or greased cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour and a half.
• When dough is ready punch down lightly on a floured surface and let it rest for a few minutes. Cut into three equal parts and roll out into a rope about 15 inches long.
• Lay the three pieces on a non-stick or lightly buttered surface. Beginning at one end, pinch the ends together and braid the three ropes. Use the egg wash where the ropes cross each other to ensure they stick and pinch the ends together.
• Cover and let rise for another 45 to 60 minutes.
  
• Preheat the oven to 190 C/375 F. Use the rest of the egg wash to cover the top and sprinkle some granulated sugar over the top.
• Place in a preheated oven and bake until the top is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Place on a cooling rack and if your fingers can take it, rip off the end, cover it in some unsalted butter and enjoy!

This is sort of like a tea cake or hot cross bun in terms of a spiced, sweet bread. It takes on new life when toasted and eaten with marmalade.

Afternoon Tea, Only a Little Different...

As shrimp and grits are to the South, so is afternoon tea to Britain. Or at least by every stereotype you can find about this great isle. For now I'm going to revel in this stereotype as everything about this dining event is great. Not only an excuse to eat in between lunch and dinner, you get a choice of sweet and savoury. So here are a few ideas for some old afternoon staples, only not as you've ever seen them before (hopefully...)

Sausage Rolls with Red Onion Marmalade

4 Sausages - casing removed (Cumberland is preferable due to the herbs)
Half a pack of puff pastry (as discussed previously, you would be foolish to want to make it yourself)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 egg - beaten

1 red onion
balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar

For the onion marmalade:

• Peel and finely slice the red onion. On a medium-low heat sweat them down in a little butter until they are soft - about ten to fifteen minutes - ensuring they do not burn.
• Add about 4 tbsp of the balsamic vinegar - the affect is not pleasant when adding vinegar to a hot pan so make sure your head isn't directly over it!
• Stir constantly while the vinegar is bubbling to reduce. Add the sugar to help it caramelise and to sweeten the vinegar.
• When the mixture is treacly and thickened up turn off the heat and set aside.
  

To make the sausage roll:

• Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)
• Roll the pastry out on a floured surface until about 1/2 cm thick. You ideally want it to look like a wide rectangle.
• Combine the sausage meat and mustard (and any other herbs you feel like adding - sage would go nicely) and spread thickly and narrowly down the centre of the bottom half of the pastry.
• Top the sausage meat with a layer of the onion marmalade.
• Dab some of the egg wash along the bottom edge of the pastry and fold the top half over to create a casing. Press down firmly to seal.
• Brush the egg wash all over the top of the pastry, place on non-stick baking sheet or some greaseproof paper and place in the middle of the oven.
• Cook for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let it rest for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack (the pastry with de-puff as it cools).
• Cut when cooled and serve up immediately.

Orange Blossom and Honey Scones

225 g self-raising flower
1 tsp baking powder
60 g butter
1 large egg
2 tbsp whole milk
1 tsp orange flower water
1 generous tbsp honey

• Preheat oven to 200 C
• Sift the flour and baking powder together and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Beat the egg, orange blossom water, honey and milk together with a pinch of salt and pour into the flour mixture - it may be a little dry so add a dash or so of milk.
• Combine until you have a smooth but fairly dry dough.
• Turn out onto a floured surface and press flat until a good inch thick.
• Using the rim of a glass cut out the scones and put them flour-side up on a prepared baking sheet.
• Brush the tops with a little milk and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes (I find they are done much closer to 10 than 15, but you could have a slow oven).
• Turn out onto a cooling rack and serve cold with clotted cream and cherry jam.

Smoked Mackerel Open Sandwiches

Now before you all skip to the next post, give these little beauties a try, they surpass cucumber sandwiches in every aspect! I am newly introduced to this fish myself and am very grateful to the insightful person who first brought them into my diet. It is a cheap fish to buy as well as good for you so it's silly not to try it...

All you need is:

• A fillet of the fish (I recommend the easily found peppered one for this sandwich).
• A few handfuls of washed watercress
  
• Dijonaise - Maille is my preferred kind or you can make a basic one of your own combining wholegrain mustard and mayonnaise in a ratio of 2:1.
• Some (preferably home made) wholewheat granary bread.

Thinly slice and toast the bread - let it cool before you put on the dijonaise. Pick some leaves off the stems of the watercress and load them onto of the bread. Delicately remove the fish from the skin and make sure you don't have any bones. Finish with some freshly ground pepper and a slight squeeze of lemon.

Like all good sandwiches it is simple but great due to the strong yet complementary flavours. You can also substitute the dijonaise with some horseradish mixed with creme fraiche.



After all this hard work no one would begrudge you the odd store-bought cake or tart slipped in there. I love battenberg cake and think it looks as good as it tastes - making any tea spread look pretty.