Sicilian sausages

Before you ask, No, I do not know anything much about Sicilian cuisine! However, I'm calling the meal I'm writing about today "Sicilian" because of these:

Even Sainsbury's are playing safe by calling them "Sicilian inspired". The illustration gives a clue about the flavourings in these sausages - Fennel and Basil figure prominently on the list of ingredients - which includes Sage, Marjoram, Garlic and red wine. Significantly different to the usual Cumberland, Lincolnshire or even Toulouse sausages that we usually buy. In any case, it's good to see that they include 84% British pork.




This recipe is my own invention...


Ingredients:
400g Sicilian-inspired sausages
100g mushrooms, sliced or diced
50g French beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 284ml tub of Elmlea cream substitute (replace with real cream if desired)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Leaves of one large spring of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
Juice and zest of half a lemon
200g cauliflower, separated into very small florets
20g flaked Almonds, toasted
30g raisins
200g dried pasta



Method:
Cook the sausages and cut into 1-inch slices; set aside

Cook the beans to the "al dente" stage and drain
Cook the pasta and keep it warm
Meanwhile...

In a large shallow sauté dish slowly fry the mushrooms in the vegetable oil, along with the garlic, salt, chilli, Rosemary and half of the lemon zest

Add the Elmlea / cream and the mustard; stir to thoroughly combine
Add the sliced sausages
Add the cooked beans

Simultaneously with cooking the mushrooms, boil the cauliflower in salted water, until just tender. This will only take two or three minutes if the florets are sufficiently small.
Drain the cauliflower well and dish it up. Garnish with raisins, flaked almonds, the remaining half of the lemon zest, lots of freshly-milled black pepper, and the lemon juice.

To serve, put a portion of pasta in a bowl and spoon the creamy, mustardy sausage mix over it, and accompany it with a serving of cauliflower. [And in our case, a glass of suitable red wine!]

I enjoyed the sausages in this dish. They were a lot meatier, and less mushy than most mass-produced sausages, and I loved the Fennel taste. However, the star of the show was the cauliflower dish. The interplay between the crisp vegetable, the sweet raisin and the crunchy, nutty almonds was lovely, and was nicely complemented by the sharp lemon juice. A surprisingly nice combination!