October 31st to November 6th is British Sausage Week, which is now in its 18th year and promotes both the quality and the range of pork sausages that British pig farmers are producing today. Here in Britain, the majority of the sausages that are produced are made from fresh pork meat, rather than the processed stuff, and here in Bristol we have plenty of choice when it comes to great sausages.
We often buy ours from Kelvin’s Butchers on Bedminster’s East Street: it was back in the 30s that the shop was originally established as a butcher, and it’s a lovely, cheerful family-run business that offers great meat at brilliant prices. They make their sausages in-house, including all sorts of exciting varieties such as pork and chilli, and pork and black pudding. Wherever you buy your sausages from, you’ll find plenty of choice in terms of flavours – meaning that they’re a great choice for a wide group of people with varying tastes.
Sausages are also a great value choice for any occasion (we paid £2.50 for 6 at Kelvin’s), and they’re incredibly versatile. Whether it’s bangers and mash, toad in the hole, sausage casseroles, a cooked breakfast or any number of other recipes, there’s a huge number of ways in which to cook them, and you’ll find plenty of inspiration at www.britishsausageweek.com.
As well as versatility, British Sausage Week is designed to promote sausages that are made from quality or Red Tractor sourced pork from Britain. As they say, “Sausages that depict a Red Tractor logo are traceable and have been produced responsibly, ensuring that it is quality food you can trust.”
For me, sausages are a quick, easy and tasty option for a mid-week meal, as this recipe shows. It’s got a bit of a kick to it, and I used regular pork sausages rather than any flavoured varieties – with the fennel, chilli and lemon, there’s plenty of flavour that’s added!
Spicy sausage pasta
Ingredients
- 6 good quality pork sausages
- rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/4 tsp habanero chilli flakes
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 200 ml white wine
- 150 grams pasta of your choice (we used wholewheat penne)
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- good pinch of black pepper
- 25 grams grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
Instructions
- Remove the skins from your sausages. Add a little rapeseed oil to a large pan and bring up to a medium heat. Add the sausages and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon as you go along, until just cooked through. When broken up, they should resemble mince.
- Crush the fennel seeds with a pestle and mortar, and add these and the chilli flakes to the sausages. Stir well, and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the oregano and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring.
- Pour in the white wine and stir well, using it to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat down and simmer until the wine has reduced by around a half, about 6-7 minutes.
- After this time, start to cook the pasta as per the packet instructions.
- Add the lemon juice and zest to your sausage mix, along with a good pinch of black pepper, and stir well. Just before the pasta has finished cooking, stir the Parmesan into the sausages.
- Drain your pasta once cooked, but leave a little water clinging to it. Add to the sauce, stir well, and serve, topped with more Parmesan and with a green salad on the side.
To find out more about British Sausage Week and for more recipes, visit www.britishsausageweek.com, follow @LovePork on Twitter, or find them on Facebook.
*This is a collaboration with British Sausage Week*