Agave Syrup and Mustard Sausages with Garlic Mash

 

The nights are getting chilly and comfort food is in order.  I always remember having bangers and mash as a child, always on the same night of the week.  That was how it was - dinner was at 6pm and you always knew what was going to be on your plate.  My grandfather used to walk down from his house in the same street to join us, the rules were strict and we always sat at the table. Unlike these days where we often grab our plates and curl up on the couch in front of the fireplace and the telly.  So times have changed. 

 

My mom would have used honey with the sausages but I have discovered Agave nectar and wow!!!   This natural syrup is obtained from the sap in the hearts of the Agave or Maguey plant. It is slowly metabolised and has a very low Glycaemic Index. And best of all - its local, home grown in Africa. 

Ingredients

8 pork sausages

1 tbsp whole grain mustard

2 tbsp agave syrup

zest and juice of one lemon

salt and pepper

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

 

For the mash

750g potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

large knob of butter

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Warm milk

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C.

2. Place the sausages in a roasting pan, making sure they are in a single layer.

3. In a bowl mix together the mustard, agave syrup, zest and juice of a lemon, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the sausages.

 

4. Bake for 30 -40 minutes, turning the sausages a few times during cooking. This gives them a sticky, glossy coat.

5. While the sausages cook, make the mash by boiling the potatoes until soft.  Gently heat the butter with the garlic until the butter has melted. Set aside. Drain the potatoes when cooked, discard the garlic and add the butter to the mash with enough warm milk to make a creamy mash.

6. Serve the sausages on top of the mash. Top with caramelised onions and parsley.

 

Cheese and Rosemary Bread

 

 After a few years of our rosemary bush not doing very well, we planted a new one in a different position in the garden and wow! Its gone wild, so every night rosemary finds its way into dinner. Now nothing beats the smell of bread baking in the oven, adding rosemary adds that extra punch and makes you get the plate and butter out way before its ready. I found this recipe in a magazine, but searching in the grocery cupboard and the fridge I didn't have the right ingredients so tweaked it and used what I did have.

 

Ingredients



1 x cup grated gruyere cheese
3T chopped rosemary
500g self-raising flour
5ml salt
5ml ground black pepper
250ml buttermilk
250ml plain yoghurt

Method
1. Heat the oven to 180 degree C.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together.  Add the gruyere cheese and rosemary and mix in.

 

 

3. Add the yoghurt and buttermilk and mix well with a wooden spoon.

4. Grease and flour a loaf tin, put bread mixture in, grind some salt over and bake for a 50-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

 

 

Baken Chicken Drumsticks in a Spicy Cornflake Crumb

 

So now, in the quest to find crumbed chicken that is more on the healthy side, and after many, many attempts......I have found this recipe to be tasty, not greasy and fabulous to pick up and eat with your fingers.  Great for snacking on while watching the rugby on the telly.

 

Ingredients

 

8 drumsticks
2 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
1t chilli powder
1t paprika
2t ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.

2. Mix the cornflakes with the spices.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Put the cornflake spice in a plastic bag.

5. Dip drumsticks to coat in the beaten egg.

 

 

6. Doing one at a time, place the drumsticks in the bag with he cornflake spice. Shake to coat.

7. Line a baking dish with baking paper and spray with cooking spray. Lay the drumsticks on the paper.

 

 

8. Bake for 25 minutes then turn and bake a further 25 minutes.