Cabbage, sausage, leeks and beans

Sensational Seasonal Cabbage and Sausage with Leeks and Beans

Make sausage and cabbage tantalisingly tasty with this quick and easy hearty meal. A few seasonal veg and storecupboard items makes this one pot, one bowl wonder of a meal for two or main for four.

Take me to the recipe!

What’s in the fridge?

I cook for the family most evenings. I do not mind this, I find it satisfying providing tasty and nutritious meals for the family. Sometimes this is planned in advance, but sometimes it can be a bit like Ready, Steady, Cook – where the evening meal is based upon what I locate in the fridge and cupboard. This recipe was based upon such a meal.

I get a great deal of my fresh produce from a local company The Heritage Fine Food Company and the box I had previously received was similar to that shown here.

Spring Cabbage

Now I love spring cabbage, and for some reason, I also love it with gravy. Sausages were also present in the fridge, so bangers and mash was my first thought. However, I also had some leeks to use and fancied mixing it up and by luck, I also had a number of apples.

Fresh Seasonal Produce from The Heritage Fine Food Company

Leeks and the seasons

I’m not entirely sure why leeks are showing up in the box at the moment, as they tend to be a winter or spring sort of vegetable. I think it might be the late cold spring and the extra rain we received until the current heatwave. Anyway, I had them, and it pays to be flexible and use what is available – much better than flying it about to eat out of season.

My approach to cooking is often to look at a recipe, and then do something different. So often a recipe will instruct you to use 5 of something that you have 4 or 6 of, so I will use what I have got. Similarly, the quantity of stock specified in some recipes makes no sense at all. So have a go, vary the amounts.

Sensational Seasonal Cabbage and Sausage with Leeks and Beans

The Recipe

Ingredients

2 – 3 Good leeks

4 – 6 Good quality, herby sausages. (Vegi sausages can be used for a Vegan/vegetarian option).

4 Rashers – Smokey Streak bacon, or equivalent lardons, gammon &c. (Leave out for Vegan/Vegetarian option)

Spring Cabbage

1Tin of Beans (Cannelli, Haricot or Borlitti).

500 ml Stock (Chicken or Vegetable for Vegan/Vegetarian option).

1 – 2 apples

Herbs. Herbs de Provence or Italian good, or your own favourites. 1 tsp is usual, but I always use loads more.

Some oil or butter

A couple of teaspoons of flour.

Salt and Pepper.

Equipment

Noting special. A good-sized pan. Get the big one out, it makes life easier. A chopping board and a good knife are always beneficial.

Preparation

If the beans are tinned, drain them. If they are dried, prepare them as required and probably cook this tomorrow.

Chop the sausages in half.

Prepare the leeks. Trim off any undesirable outer and end leaves. Green parts can (and should if possible) be used in this recipe. Slit down the middle lengthways and rinse leaves down and root up between all the layers to remove grit. Chop reasonably fine.

Prepare the cabbage. Separate the leaves and wash to remove grit and wildlife. Remove stalk. Chop as finely as possible.

Prepare the stock. Do not worry if the stock you are using does not make 500ml. 300- 600 ok.

Cooking

Pop a bit of oil in the pan and add the sausages. Cook on medium heat until there is some nice browning happening on the sausages (and they look tempting).

Take the sausages out of the pan and put them on a plate or in a container during this next stage. Add a bit more oil or butter and add the leeks. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes until quite soft. Add a bit of water if it looks like it getting out of hand and they are catching.

Stir the flour into the leeks and cook for 2 minutes – keep stirring.

Put the sausages back in the pan. Add the stock, beans, apple, herbs salt and pepper, and simmer / low boil for 10 minutes. If you have a lid, put it on. It’s worth stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add more water if it looks a bit thick – all the ingredients should be in the liquid.

Add the cabbage and cook for at least 5 minutes on a low boil. Again, if you have a lid, put it on.

Check the seasoning, and serve.

Serve with……..

As a meal for two, divide between two bowls and enjoy. A good hearty meal. There is always the option of having some nice crusty bread and butter with it, if desired – a great way of getting more value out of the sauce.

Make it go further, serve with potatoes, carrots and peas as a dinner for 4.

This recipe easily doubles: or you can be flexible with the quantities. Just don’t be mean with the herbs.

I also suspect that using a tin of baked beans might be quite nice too.

Comment below if you have tried it, and how it was for you.

A seasonal sensation with a sprig of thyme

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