PixieCooks

Almost entirely inspired by Nigel Slater’s Mustardy Sausage Pasta (from his Simple Suppers programme), I made this sandwich to use up some onions that were in danger of sprouting. It was delicious, in the way that only really softly browned onions can be and I’d absolutely make double so I could have more sandwiches or adaptive pasta the next day!

Serves 3
Ingredients

• 6 Good Butcher’s Sausages (British Bangers)
• 3 Medium Onions, Diced (I used 2 white and one red because that’s what I had)
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tsp Wholegrain Mustard (adjust the mustard types and quantity to taste. I like a deep mustard taste without much bite to it)
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1/4 Pt/ 250Ml/ 1/2 Cup (Warm) Water
• 3 Baguettes (I used the part-baked kind so they were warm)

Pre-heat the oven to 200C (180Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6). Place the Sausages in an oven proof dish and cover with foil. Cook for around an hour (more doesn’t hurt, just be careful of burning!).

Whilst the sausages are cooking, heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and add the onions. Start them at a high heat, stirring well to avoid them catching, and once they’re beginning to brown lower the heat (to the lowest your hob can do) and cover, stirring regularly to pull any caramelised bits in off the bottom. After around 45 minutes, transfer the onions to an oven proof dish, cover and put into the oven alongside the sausages.

Heat the pan the onions cooked in (DON’T WASH IT FIRST!) and add the water, honey and mustard, stirring well to remove any lumps. Bring to the boil and continue stirring whilst the mixture thickens. When the mixture is thick and gloopy (like a bbq sauce) transfer to a bowl.

Spread the honey mustard dressing on each side of the baguette and slice the sausages vertically to help them sit in the sandwich without rolling out , top with the gorgeously soft, rich onions and serve with a dressed salad. Try not to have seconds immediately.

Nigel Slater has a great deal to answer for, not least that he describes food in an entirely hungry-making fashion. I had a notion for some kind of pudding last night, and nothing readily apparent in the pudding milieu, but some digging around in the freezer found some aged frozen berries (one of those “suitable for smoothies summer berries” mixes with strawberries and blueberries and things) and a sad scraping of vanilla ice cream. A little sugar and spice made for a lovely, lovely pud.

Makes quite a lot, but it keeps in the fridge
Ingredients

• Bag frozen summer berries (or any berries, if they’re not frozen they won’t need so much cooking
• Light brown muscovado sugar (or any sugar, but this has a warmer flavour that’s good with the spice. Given I was using frozen berries so old that they may have been out of date, I just used what I had)
• Powdered ginger, to taste
• Powdered cinnamon, to taste
• Pinch of all-spice (this is really just as a back note, so substantially less than the other spices)
• Boiling water (I used about the same volume as I had fruit, but my fruit had freezer burn and needed re-hydrated)

Method
Bung everything in a wide (non-stick) pan, and keep stirring as it boils so it doesn’t catch. Some of the fruit will burst (frozen berries have already had their internal structure mushed a bit, so it doesn’t take much) and it will begin to thicken.

Pour over ice-cream and enjoy.

Will keep in the fridge (becomes like a loose jam), reheats in the microwave in about 1 minute and the cool compote is good stirred into plain yoghurt.