Super sausage selections (+ recipes)

Ranging from the economical to the exotic, sausages are popular the world over. Many countries have sausages in at least one of their most famous traditional recipes.
In Germany, bratwurst with apples, onion and sauerkraut is a popular cafe dish. But bratwurst is just one of hundreds of German sausages, including the delicate veal weisswurst and the goose-liver and truffle getruffelte ganseleberwurst. They are served alone with trimmings or combined in stews for added flavour.
Sausage is a staple of Polish cuisine and comes in dozens of varieties, smoked or fresh, made with pork, beef, turkey, horse, lamb, veal or bison, with every region having its own speciality. The fresh white sausage, kielbasa, is used in the hearty soup, zurek.
In Austria, a piece of lean roast beef becomes a wurstelbraten when small frankfurter sausages are inserted into the meat before cooking.
In South Africa, the traditional sausage is the boerewors or farmer's sausage. It is commonly prepared from coarsely ground game and/or beef, mixed with pork or lamb, fat, coriander and vinegar, although many variations exist. Boerewors is recognised by its spiral configuration and is traditionally cooked on a barbecue.
Even Chinese cuisine uses a variety of different sausages or lop cheong. These are often steamed on top of other foods to impart flavour. Once steamed they can also be stir-fried
Spain's chorizo (pronounced chor-ree-zo) is popular in risotto and paella.
The French cassoulet is a bean stew cooked in an earthenware casserole and one of the classic dishes of the Languedoc. It combines meats, vegetables, sausage as well as beans. There is a different recipe in every kitchen.
The most famous sausage of Italy is salami which is enjoyed on pizzas, in salads and snacks. Sausages were a great favourite with the Romans who called them salsus, a word which is derived from the Latin for "salted".
England is known for its bangers and mash and it's these fresh sausages that have been adopted by Australian and Kiwi cooks especially for barbecues.
RECIPES
QUICK CASSOULET
Cassoulet is usually prepared with dried beans and cooked slowly with meat and seasonings for several hours. I've used canned beans in this recipe.
500g pork slices or meaty pork bones
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
300g rookwurst sausage
4-6 fresh sausages (eg chorizo, Italian)
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
400g can diced tomatoes
140g tomato paste
Bouquet garni
2 x 400g cans cannellini beans, drained
Preheat oven to 180C. Season pork with black pepper. Brown in oil in frying pan. Place in large casserole dish. Brown sausages and add to pork. Place in oven while preparing remaining ingredients.
Saute onion in frying pan until soft. Add garlic, canned tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to boil. Add bouquet garni and pour over meat. Cover tightly.
Reduce heat to 165C. Cook for 30 minutes. Add beans and a little water if too thick. Cover and cook for further 20-30 minutes. Cut pork and sausages into 3cm pieces and return to casserole.
Great garnished with chopped parsley and fresh breadcrumbs tossed with garlic butter and toasted. Serves 6-8.
ITALIAN SAUSAGES WITH FENNEL
Sausages come in a range of flavours. I used ones with Italian seasonings.
8 fresh Italian sausages
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 fennel bulb, sliced
400g can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat a little oil in large, heavy frying pan. Brown sausages until golden. Remove and pour off excess fat.
Heat a little more oil. Saute onion, fennel seeds, pepper and fennel bulb until softened, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer for about five minutes.
Return sausages to pan to heat through. Season and garnish with parsley.
Excellent served with pasta or mashed potatoes. Serves 4-5.
SAUSAGE SPLITS WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA
Use any type of sausage that you can grill and serve topped with pineapple salsa. The number of sausages required will depend on their size. I used fresh beef sausages.
6-8 sausages
Salsa:
225g can pineapple pieces, drained
1 large firm tomato, diced
2 tbsp finely chopped mint
1/2 -1 tsp chilli paste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp lemon juice
Preheat grill. Place sausages on rack and prick with fork. Grill under medium heat for five to six minutes each side.
Meanwhile, combine ingredients for salsa. Slit sausages lengthwise. Spoon salsa into centre and place under grill to warm through. Serves 4.
OLD-FASHIONED CURRIED SAUSAGES
Curried sausages the Kiwi way.
2 tbsp canola oil
6-8 beef sausages
2 medium onions, sliced
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2-3 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup sultanas
420g can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat half oil in frying pan. Cook sausages on medium-low heat until golden and cooked through, or cook under grill until just cooked through. Place to one side.
Drain excess fat from pan. Add remaining oil. Saute onions until browned. Add apple and saute for one minute. Stir in curry powder. Cook for 30 seconds, then add remaining ingredients. Simmer for five minutes. Add sausages and simmer for five to 10 minutes.
Great served on rice or mashed potatoes and topped with chopped parsley. Serves 4.
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