Last updated at 10:41, Tuesday, 31 March 2009

WHEN it comes to ‘comfort food’ nothing beats sausages as Britain’s number one favourite food and we love them!

sausages: The ultimate in comfort food. Pictured here in a casserole

More than 12 million sausages are consumed every day, we eat them for breakfast, we barbecue them, boy Scouts and girl Guides cook them over open fires, we eat them as snacks, on cocktail sticks and cold in lunch boxes and on picnics, we grill, fry or bake them in the oven and we remember them with nostalgia as a favourite childhood food.

It is not surprising then that every county and region has its own special type of sausage and the most famous and most popular of all of these are our own Cumberland sausages. Good sausages should be plump and juicy with a high meat content and adequate amounts of breadcrumbs (or rusk as it is called by butchers) and fat. They should be well seasoned and may have a delicate mix of spices and or herbs. We are fortunate to have many good, local butchers who sell their own sausages made daily to secret recipes and sold fresh without any additives or preservatives, unlike many of the shop varieties that need the additives to prolong storage times and shelf life. I have eaten many of these sausages for convenience and for ‘research’ purposes but find the fresh, local variety very hard to beat. It is often difficult to find the time to visit a butcher but for your convenience why not buy the sausages, when you have the chance, in larger quantities and then freeze some for later?

Good sausages are very good value for money and with all television and radio programmes warning us about the worsening economic situation they can make a perfect ‘credit crunch’ supper dish for all the family. Nowadays we have to look again at the cheaper cuts of meat and how to cook them. I don’t say ‘cheaper’ in any sort of derogatory way as most of these undervalued cuts such as belly pork, lamb skirt, shin beef, lamb shanks etc have superb flavours when cooked slowly. With sausages you get the best of both – great flavours and quick and easy cooking.

LOCAL SAUSAGE CASSEROLE WITH CARAMELISED APPLES AND SAGE

Serves 5/6 depending on appetite

INGREDIENTS: A little cooking oil; about 15 thin link pork sausages; one large onion, peeled and chopped; one dessert eating apple, peeled, cored and sliced; 2 teasps unrefined caster sugar; three or four large carrots, peeled and sliced (not too chunky); 750ml (1¼ pts) water; two stock cubes (either vegetable or chicken); 2tbsp cornflour; 1teasp of chopped fresh sage (if you are using dried sage as opposed to the fresh then add half the quantity as the dried herbs have a stronger flavour).

METHOD:

1. Start by cooking the sausages (with a tiny amount of oil to stop them sticking) until they are golden. I prefer to do this in the oven. It is very useful to have cookware that can go in the oven and then can be taken out and used on the hob (or vice versa) and have a lid. When cooked, pour off the excess sausage fat and leave them to one side.

2. In a large pan add about 3 tablespoon of oil and then brown the onions, when these are coloured add the apple slices and the sugar. Stir together and then continue to fry the mixture until the apples are golden and starting to caramelise.

3. Add the carrots and stir.

4. In a large jug measure the water, crumble in the two stock cubes and then add the cornflour. Whisk to dissolve the flour.

5. Add the liquid to the pan, stir and bring to the boil. Stir again and then add the chopped sage. Now replace the lid, lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes until the carrots are tender. You can do this either in the oven or on the hob. If you are going to cook it ‘on the top’ give it an occasional stir to make sure that the sauce doesn’t stick. Don’t over cook as everything is already cooked except the carrots.

6. Serve with a mound of creamy, hot mashed potato.

BOOK NOW

For more information about cookery demonstrations and classes, contact Grainne at Woodend Cookery, Woodend, Egremont CA22 2TA; phone: 01946 813017; email gmjakobson@sky.com; or visit the website at www.woodendcookery.co.uk

Bookings are now being taken for Can’t Cook Won’t Cook on Thursday 26 March (am); Friday 27 March (pm); and Wednesday 1 April (am).

Forthcoming sessions include Afternoon Tea on the lawn, A Taste of Italy, No fuss summer food and more. Group discounts and gift vouchers are available

First published at 15:52, Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk