Well I mentioned I had purchased Paul Rankin’s Irish Pork Sausages again.
This time I roasted them in the oven with chicken, red pepper, mushrooms and pancetta.
I served it with a lemon risotto.
Ooh nice sausages
I seem to have been buying the same sausages for ages, so the other day seeing Paul Rankin’s Irish pork sausages on the shelf the other day, decided, oh lets try them.
I was slightly hesitant as sometimes you wonder if you are paying more for the “name” than the quality of the ingredients. I did wonder if I would get cheap salty tasting sausages which though made with “succulent cuts of pork” was actually made with cheap succulent cuts of pork!
However I did remember that I use the buy Sainsburys Taste the Difference steak which was endorsed by Jamie Oliver at one point and I really could taste the difference!
So what about Paul Rankin’s sausages?
Well they cooked perfectly with very little shrinkage or water loss. They had a good texture and tasted really good. Sometimes good quality sausages can be very salty, so all you can taste is salt, with these I could taste the pork.
I will certainly be buying these again.
Merguez sausages
One of my favourite sausages is the merguez sausage.
This is a North African spicy lamb and beef sausage that is really nice and meaty with a hot and spicy taste.
Merguez is made with lamb or beef, and flavoured with a wide range of spices, such as sumac for tartness, and paprika, cayenne, or harissa, a hot chilli paste that gives it a red colour.
I have had Merguez sausages in Cafe Rouge and have had trouble finding them for sale in my local suppliers.
However was pleased to find them in Taste.
Just grilled they were delicious.
Bacon-wrapped chicken legs stuffed with pork and pistachio
Ingredients for four servings
4 boned-out chicken legs or thighs or even whole legs
pepper
approximately 12-16 rashers of pancetta bacon
dash olive oil
Stuffing
handful of sauasge meat, I used two (proper) sausages and removed the skins
half a handful of pistachio nuts,
half a handful of pistachio nuts, ground
half a handful of breadcrumbs
1 egg yolk
herbs, parsley is fine
Make the stuffing by mixing all the ingredients together.
Open out the chicken legs or thighs, season with pepper and divide the stuffing between them. Roll up to enclose. Lay about three or four bacon rashers on a board, overlapping them slightly. Put one stuffed chicken portion on top and wrap the bacon around to cover completely. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Cut four very large pieces of foil. Wrap each chicken parcel tightly in foil, twisting the ends to seal. Roll back and forth to even the shape. Poach the chicken parcels, two or three at a time, in a large pan of boiling water for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Allow to cool in the foil, then refrigerate for 30 minutes (this helps the bacon to ‘set’ around the chicken). Remove the foil and pat dry to remove any excess moisture.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and carefully sauté the chicken parcels until the bacon is brown and crisp on all sides. Transfer to a warm platter and rest in a warm place.
You can make a sauce by deglazing the pan with say some wine or sherry.
You can serve with vegetables.
With thanks to Gordon Ramsey for the inspiration.
I also made this recipe this weekend, but used pork loin steaks and no bacon.