Kitchen Garden Notes – Apple Festival at Clumber Park

Apple and Fig Chutney

Apple and Fig Chutney

Sausage and apple casserole

Sausage and apple casserole

I don't think you can have enough recipes for a sausage casserole although when I photographed it this time I actually used chipolatas! Kids love sausages and yes, the adults here do as well. I make this dish quite often because the ingredients used in it is all stuff I have in stock all the time plus my trusty rosemary bush in the garden. The wholegrain mustard I usually cook with is from the Chain Bridge Honey Farm near Berwick-upon-Tweed. If you happen to be lucky to be in Northumberland do pay it a visit or find a stockist of their fine produce. Obviously other wholegrain mustard can be used!

As I said before I cook this with both sausages and chipolatas. The chipolatas weighed 375g while a standard pack of 8 sausages is around 450g. Whatever the weight just use the number of sausages it requires to feed all the family. I don't buy any special apples for this recipe either – just use whatever you have in your fruit bowl. On this occasion it happened to be a Royal Gala.

Click here for a printable recipe. 

Serves 4

Equipment: A 12in (30cm) round casserole dish that can be used to fry in and is oven-proof or 1 large frying pan and oven-proof dish.

Ingredients

1 tbsp (15ml) Oil, sunflower or vegetable

1 Onion, sliced

2 Carrots, sliced

1 Garlic clove, crushed

375g – 450g Sausages or chipolatas

1 tbsp (15ml) Plain flour

1 tbsp (15ml) Tomato purée

2 tsp (10ml) Wholegrain mustard

1 tsp (5ml) Paprika

1 tbsp (15ml) Fresh rosemary taken off the stalks

2 tsp |(10ml) Vinegar

½ pint (300ml) Chicken stock

1 Apple, sliced

Method

1. Pre -heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.

2. Heat the oil in the casserole dish/frying pan. Fry the onions, carrots, garlic and sausages until the sausages start to brown.

3. Add the flour to the pan and cook for a minute, stirring.

4. In a small dish or jug mix together the tomato purée, mustard, paprika, rosemary, vinegar and stock. Pour into pan and bring to the boil. Keep stirring it until it starts to thicken.

5. If necessary transfer it to an oven-proof dish.

6. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes and then add the apple slices and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Spiced Cranberry and Apple Oaty Crumble

Spiced Cranberry and Apple Oaty Crumble

It doesn't matter what the weather is like a oaty crumble is always a welcome at JibberJabber Towers. Throughout the year we have changes in the fruit and what we serve with it – cream, yoghurt or custard but the oaty topping remains.

With a nod to the festive season and my role as this month's host of Feel Good Food I felt it time for some cranberries to make an appearance in our Sunday crumble. I decided to combine them with some Bramley apples and the result was it was nice. That's it – nice. Not something that is going to inspire you to rush out and buy the ingredients for this recipe. It didn't have the juiciness of plums or the luxury of freshly picked blackberries. I was then flicking through my copy of Leon Friends & Family: Book 4 which I received as a from Louisa at Eat your veg. In it was a recipe for a cranberry and apple crumble with a bit of added zing. That recipe had a flour based topping which I never make because my husband isn't that keen on flour crumbles and oats are far better for you anyway. I've reduced the quantities to fit my crumble dish and of course added by own oaty crumble topping.

I am sending this over to Vanesther at Bangers & Mash for this month's cinnamon themed The Spice Trail challenge.

Obviously this is my own entry for Feel Good Food that I am hosting this month on behalf of Victoria at A Kick At The Pantry Door.

Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes is also doing a fresh cranberry link up.

Equipment: Oven-proof dish (mine measures 17cm x 23cm)

Ingredients

2 Bramley apples (should weigh around 400g), peeled, cored and cut into slices.

100g Fresh cranberries

25g Demerara sugar

Zest and juice 1 orange

¼ tsp Ground cinnamon

¼ tsp Mixed spice

Grating of fresh nutmeg or ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg.

Topping

140g Porridge oats

28g Ground almonds

85g Demerara sugar

55g Unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4.

2. Place the apples and cranberries into the dish. Sprinkle the sugar, orange zest and juice, and spices over the fruit.

3. In a separate bowl weigh out the oats and add the almonds and sugar.

4. Put the butter into the bowl and stir so all the ingredients are mixed in and the butter is covered with the mixture.

5. Spoon evenly over the apples and cranberries until it is all covered.

6. Cook for 20 minutes until the oats on top have browned.

Sausage and Apple Filo Roll

Sausage & Apple Filo Roll

After I started writing out the ingredients to this recipe I realised this could have a number of names. I immediately christened it Sausage & Apple Filo Roll because I wanted to highlight the apple in it but I could have easily called it Sausage, Sage & Onion Filo Roll. Essentially it is a jumbo sausage roll that is easy to make, quick to cook and ensures clean plates from all the family.

The main elements I found in the reduced section of the supermarket and was able to freeze them. The filo sheets were 39p and the sausagemeat was £1.14.

The dried apple should been £2.49 but for some reason Sainsbury's had reduced all the 250g packets to just 25p. I'm not sure if this was due to them changing the packaging or discontinuing them all together. I hope it's the former as they've become quite a find. Although they are described as 'dried' they're not the dehydrated hard slices you find in cereal mixes. Instead they are more like jelly sweets. This makes them perfect for baking with as they still hold their shape rather than going to complete mush that fresh apple has a tendency to do.

The thrifty nature of this new family favourite meal means I will be submitting it for Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All's Credit Crunch Munch which is being hosted this month by Janice at Famersgirl Kitchen.

 

Equipment: 1 baking sheet, greased or with non-stick liner.

Ingredients

500g Sausagemeat (1 'roll')

2oz (50g) Dried Apple

1 Onion, chopped

1 tsp (5ml) Sage

1 Pack Filo pastry (5 sheets)

½ oz (10-15g) Butter, melted

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/ Gas mark 5.

2. In a large bowl mix together the sausagemeat, apple, onion and sage until well combined.

3. Lay out 2 of the filo sheets on the baking tray.

4. Spread the sausagemeat mixture across the filo sheets but leave enough space around the edges to fold over.

5. Place the other 3 filo sheets on top and fold round.

6. Brush the top with the melted butter.

7. Cook for 20 minutes.

8. Serve with potatoes and vegetables of your choice.