Winter's End

With winter on it's way out I look forward to eating fresh, in season, salads and delicious summery soups and light desserts, all of course enjoyed with a glass of suitably chilled white wine. Aah these days are so close I can almost smell them!

However last week, on a cold rainy and generally miserable night I decided to cook up some sausages. What is more comforting than a plate of sausage casserole with mash and red cabbage?

I had bought some venison sausages which would give some great flavour.

I fried an onion added the sausages, browned the off then added a splash of red wine to deglaze the pan then topped up with stock. A pinch of dried thyme some S&P and they were ready to sit and simmer for around 25mins. The smell was amazing and I knew this meal was going to go down well with my other half.

The mash......... We all know how to make that, I won't insult you with a recipe. All I will say is that on this occassion I stirred a spoonful of grainy mustard in before serving.

Now the red cabbage. This is one of my favourite winter vegetables, braised until sweet and delicious. I find my recipe changes by what ingredient I have in the cupboard but will give the basic recipe and you can experiment by adding bits and pieces of your own choice.

1 red cabbage finely sliced, core removed
1 red onion finely chopped
2 apples peeled and sliced.
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar ( this sets the colour)
1/2 cup sultanas
3 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, S&P
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cabbage and quickly toss until oil is absorbed. Add all the other ingredients, except apple, and cover tightly. On a low heat cook for 30-40 mins, stirring regularly to stop it sticking. Add a splash of water if you feel it needs it.

About 10mins before end of cooking add apple to pan and finish cooking.
You can stir in a tablespoon of redcurrant or cranberry sauce at this point but not essential as it will taste delicious anyway.
Remember to remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves, the cloves will be harder to locate!
This will serve 4-6 people but will freeze and reheat really well.

So as we tucked into what would probably be the last sausage casserole of the winter we savoured every bite knowing it would be a while before we enjoyed this dish again. It's always a favourite in this house.

So now I will think about using red cabbage in a different way, perhaps a red cabbage coleslaw, don't see why it wouldn't work and the colours would look great on a plate. Food for thought................