Pork sausages braised in cider
A real taste of the South West. Try to get hold of sausages made from Gloucester Old Spot pigs, they are traditionally reared in orchards and have an affinity with apples.
400 ml dry, cider (for a stronger cider taste use more cider and reduce to 400 ml first)
1 large bramley cooking apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
225g smoked bacon, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons plain flour
2 bay leaves
Salt and black pepper
Herbs
Try a combination of a few fresh sage leaves, a few sprigs of thyme or a teaspoon of lightly bruised (not crushed) juniper berries
Method
Use a large, heavy pan or casserole. Brown the sausages in a little oil for 10 minutes
Remove sausages and set aside
Add onion and bacon to the pan and cook for around 10 minutes
Add apple, cook for a few minutes and return sausages to the pan
Add flour and stir until all the juices are absorbed
Add the cider and herbs, stir to ensure that there are no lumps of flour
Bring contents to the boiling point, put the lid on and simmer gently on a low setting for 1 hour
Check seasoning (you may not need salt if the bacon is salty)
Serve with mashed potato
Suggested Sausages
You can make this recipe with plain pork, pork and apple or Lincolnshire sausages.
Black pudding also works well with apple. You could try one of the Pork & Black pudding sausages or add a few crumbled slices to the onion and bacon.