Curried Sausages

H has been travelling quite a bit for work and is in need of some comfort food so I decided to make curried snags for dinner tonight. I smashed together a few different recipes I found online and came up with this. Next time I think I'll add in some sultanas to give it a sweet element.

1 kg beef sausages
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 Tbsp oil
1 large brown onions, cut into wedges
150g celery, chopped
2 Tbsp madras curry powder
2 Tbsp plain flour
200g sweet potato, chopped
150g pumpkin, chopped
450g potato, chopped
200g carrot, chopped
3 cups beef stock
1 cup frozen pas & corn
2 tsp cornflour (optional)

water (optional)

Preheat oven to 180C
Prick sausages and place in saucepan with enough cold water to cover, add vinegar.
Bring to boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Drain, cool and remove skins from the sausages.
Chop sausages into 5cm pieces and brown in a frypan. Set aside
Heat oil in a deep oven proof saucepan and sauté onions until soft. Add celery and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add sausages and sprinkle curry powder and flour over the surface and stir to combine.
Add sweet potato, potato, pumpkin and carrot and stir to combine.
Add stock and bring to the boil while stirring.
Cover and bake for 30mins.

If you need to thicken the sauce mix some cornflour and water together and slowly add to curried sausages and stir.
Serve with mashed potato or with white rice.

Serves 6

Sausage Hotpot

A good hearty one pot meal, this hotpot is delicious with any kind of sausages. Try chicken, pork, beef or Spanish chorizo.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
500g beef and cracked pepper sausages
2 brown onions, halved, sliced
1 red capsicum, cut into thick strips
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
400g can diced tomatoes
2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup frozen peas

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp crushed chilli
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausages. Cook, turning often, for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove sausages to a board. Thickly slice.

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil, onions, garlic, chilli, paprika, oregano and capsicum to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Add rice, tomatoes, stock and sausages. Stir to combine. Bring to the boil.

Cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add frozen peas. Remove pan from heat. Set aside, covered, for 15 minutes (this allows rice to complete cooking). Season with salt and pepper. Spoon hotpot into serving bowls. Serve.

To reheat hotpot, spoon into serving bowls. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons chicken stock and cover with damp paper towel. Microwave on MEDIUM (50%) for 3 to 4 minutes.

Adapted from: Super Food Ideas - November 2006. Recipe by Michelle Noerianto

Char Kway Teow

500g fresh flat rice noodle sheets
50ml oil
2 tablespoons minced Chinese radish
3 red chillies
2 cloves of minced garlic
200g green prawns (peeled and de-veined)
1 Lup Chong (Chinese sausage), sliced
2 beaten eggs
2 teaspoons thick dark soy
1-2 tablespoons light soy
generous handful of bean shoots
30gm garlic chives, cut into 2.5 cm lengths
salt and pepper to taste

Pound the sliced chillies to a paste. Cut rice noodle sheets into 1cm length strips, separate gently. If there's too much oil on the noodles pour hot water over them, as oil is used to stop the fresh noodles sticking in the refrigeration process. Drain immediately in a colander and loosen with chopsticks to prevent sticking.

Heat oil in a hot wok. Add the minced radish, chilli paste and garlic. Stir fry for 10 seconds. Add prawns and stir. Add the noodles and toss. Add Lup Chong. Push noodles to one side and pour egg into the centre - bring the noodles back and stir fry with the egg. Add the sauces, gently coating the noodles, then add garlic chives and bean shoots. Stir fry until cooked. Serve immediately.

How long can you store meat in the freezer?

Refrigerator / Freezer
Steaks and Roasts - 3 or 4 days / 6 to 12 months
Ground Beef - 1 or 2 days / 3 to 4 months
Cooked Beef - 3 or 4 days / 2 to 3 months
Chicken (Pieces) - 1 or 2 days / 1 year
Chicken (Whole) - 1 or 2 days / 6 months
Cooked Chicken - 3 or 4 days / 4 to 6 months
Pork Chops and Roasts - 3 to 5 days / 4 to 6 months
Cooked Pork - 3 to 4 days / 1 to 2 months
Sausage - 1 or 2 days / 1 to 2 months
Sausage (Cooked) - 3 to 5 days / 1 to 2 months

Chorizo and Chickpea Salad

2 tsp olive oil
400g chorizo sausages, thinly sliced
250g punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
420g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
70g baby rocket, washed, drained
70g feta cheese, crumbled
2 Tbs balsamic salad dressing

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half the chorizo. Cook for 4 minutes, turning, or until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chorizo.

Add cherry tomatoes to frying pan. Cook, tossing, for 2 minutes or until just softened.

Combine warm chorizo, tomatoes, chickpeas, rocket, feta and dressing in a large bowl.Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Spoon into serving bowls.

Serves 4

Chorizo and Bean Stew

We made this last night and it was so delicious we had seconds and thirds!!

700g salad potatoes (such as chats or Nicola), quartered
60ml / 1/4 cup olive oil
1 red onion, peeled, chopped
500g chorizo sausage, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
400g can butter beans
410g can diced tomatoes
2 fresh bay leaves
150ml beef or chicken stock
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of cold, salted water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat. Drain.
Heat the oil in the same pan. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until just softened.
Add the chorizo and cook until it starts to turn golden.
Transfer chorizo mixture to a plate and set aside.
Add garlic and chilli to the pan. Cook for a few seconds, then add potatoes, butter beans,tomatoes, bay leaves and chorizo mixture.
Pour in stock, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in parsley and serve with crusty bread.

Serves 4

Source: Delicious magazine April 2003. Recipe by Valli Little