Tuesday 18 October 2011

Sausage and black pudding casserole

Sausage and black pudding casserole might seem like a winter dish but it’s so popular in our restaurants that we often have it on the menu, no matter what the weather.

It seems obvious but a good casserole depends on the quality of the ingredients you use. Obviously you’re depending on someone else’s product when using sausages and black pudding so do try to get the best you can. It’ll make such a difference to the dish.

And for those people who aren’t that keen on black pudding, give this dish a go; particularly if it the texture you don’t like. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Serves four

600g good quality pork sausages
250g good quality black pudding - cut into cubes
Four carrots - peeled and roughly chopped
Half a swede - peeled and roughly chopped
One large onion – peeled and finely diced
Four sticks of celery – cut into  1cm pieces
One litre of chicken stock
A couple of sprigs of thyme
Two bay leaves
A handful of pearl barley
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Vegetable oil
 
Unless you like the look of pink sausages, lightly brown the sausages under the grill. They don’t need to be cooked, just coloured.

Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil into a large pan or casserole that can sit on the cooker. Heat, add the carrots, swede, onion and celery and cook over a low-to-medium heat until they start to brown. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, add the pearl barley and allow to cook for a further ten minutes.

Then add the black pudding and allow to cook for a few minutes and you’ll notice the pudding start to break down a little and enrich the sauce. Turn the heat down and add the sausages along with a little black pepper. Cook for a further 20 to 25 minutes, tasting and adding salt if necessary.

To serve, pile into warmed bowls and accompany with crusty bread. Or, if you wished, it goes great with mash, bubble and squeak or a few new potatoes.

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