Well autumn is well and truly upon us; misty mornings leading to crisp bright days where I can see the shard from my office window, or dull foggy ones where I can barely see the office across the road let alone across the city. I know which I prefer.
Yesterday was (almost) one of the first, so my meal plans were decidedly autumn-centric. A quick dash to M&S gave me some venison sausages (a go-to when there’s no outdoor reared pork – pretty sure you can’t factory farm a deer…) and some thick pappardelle, my new favourite pasta, thick, almost chewy, so totally one for colder days.
I made this in the morning, for a late dinner and I think it really benefited from the wait, the almost bitter flavours of the stout had mellowed and the sauce thickened nicely.
Venison Sausages with Guinness – For 3
- 6 sausages, chopped into pieces
- 6 large mushrooms, chopped
- 1 pint of Guinness or other stout
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 shallots
- Plain flour
- About 10 black peppercorns
- 1 veg stock cube
In a decent amount of oil, brown the sausage chunks. Add the chopped shallots and allow to soften until golden. Remove from the heat and stir in a couple of tablespoons of flour. Then add the stock, dissolved in about half a cup of water. Return to the heat and stir well, adding the guinness and peppercorns.
Bring to the boil and simmer, with the lid off until the sauce has thicken and reduced by at least half. Put the lid on, add the mushrooms and cook for around half an hour.
Serve with hot, buttered pasta.
Sorry for the awful pic, snapped in the steam of the kitchen. Was too hungry for proper shots!
I’m looking forward to trying some more warming winter dishes as the days continue to shorten. Salad days are over!
allie eats meat 