The Humble Sausage
I was sitting back this week thinking about what I would write about, when my mum put the recipe for Toad in the Hole into my recipe book. I became quite nostalgic as it reminded me of the many meals we had growing up, that were made from ‘the humble sausage’.
First, I decided it was time to do a bit of research on the history of sausages and discovered that the manufacture of sausages began over 2,000 years ago and is still a large and growing industry. The first mention of sausages was in a Greek play called “The Orya” or “The Sausage” which was written in 500 BC. Sausages were typically named by the area they came from, Lyons sausage from Lyons in France, Berliner sausage from Berlin in Germany, Berkshire sausage from Berkshire in the UK………..
One of my favourite childhood sausage meals was Toad in the Hole. It was always a weekend ‘treat’ when this appeared on the table and was a close second to Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. It may not be the healthiest option, especially when you see the amount of oil that goes into it, but it truly is one of the best dishes around and you will often find it on the menu in pubs throughout the UK.
I remember when I worked in London, I would often meet up with my dad for Friday lunch, at Simply Sausages and find new and interesting sausages that we could cook over the weekend. There were heaps of different varieties available and we would often stand outside the window for ages working out which ones we were going to try out this time.
When I left home and moved to the BIG SMOKE, food bills were watched more closely than at home, as my flat mate and I were on limited budgets to ensure we could still go out and enjoy the London nightlife! Sausages were on the menu at least twice a week as they were economical and fitted into our budget. We would cook up a mean sausage casserole, which I am sad to say I have lost the recipe for, and my flat mate has been unable to remember what our secret recipe was. The other weekly meal was sausages, mash, peas and gravy.
Now please don’t hate me for this comment, but ‘English’ sausages are so much better than ‘Aussie’ sausages and since moving here over 19 years ago I haven’t cooked many Aussie sausages (excluding the ones my hubby puts on the BBQ when he has done the shopping)!
Recently my local deli has started stocking the best little Italian sausages and I am back on-board again, ready to start cooking sausages once again and of course my first thought was to cook Toad in the Hole.
Now I have to confess, I had never actually cooked it before! Because mum makes the best Yorkshire pudding, and therefore the best Toad in the Hole I have never been game to cook it myself. Instead I always ask her to make it when I go home to visit.
With the arrival of the long lost recipe in my Eternal Ingredients cookbook and my writing about the Humble Sausage this week I decided it was time to give it a go myself.
Friday lunchtime I headed out to the deli to get my sausages and in the absence of any lard in the supermarket, I opted for a very expensive tin of Duck Fat! After Friday night drinks at OS Kitchen I headed back home to make my first ever Toad in the Hole.
John had never eaten it before, so I wanted to make sure it was perfect and followed Mum’s easy recipe to the letter (not something I normally do). It was so easy I was sure I was doing something wrong. Once in the oven I was like a small child checking to see if it had risen at all and yes it had! When it came out of the oven it looked just like mum’s does and tasted just as good. I was asked by John for it to become a part of the weekly menu, so I think it was a winner! Although I don’t know if my waistline will tolerate every week!
Now don’t disregard how many different and enticing meals you can cook with the humble sausage and if you find a place to buy the best sausages from, give my mum’s Toad in the Hole recipe a go.
Let me know if you have any wonderful recipes that include the humble sausage, especially a good sausage casserole recipe.
Happy cooking
Rachel
