Warm Sausage, Sweet Potato & Puy Lentil Salad

I love Autumn.  The beautiful crisp air and rich, golden colours.  The earthy scent of fallen leaves. The comfy boots and chunky knits.  The irresistible pumpkin spice lattes.  The alluring smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and freshly baked apples...

This season has my name written all over it, at least until Spring arrives anyway.

I think today's dish captures the essence of Autumn wonderfully.  Earthy Puy lentils, honey-mustard glazed pork sausages, roasted sweet potatoes, and crisp red onion - complimented by a light and tangy balsamic vinaigrette.  Comforting.  Hearty.  Delicious.

It has to be said that quality ingredients are key here. Choosing the best sausages you can find will really make a difference.  I recommend a meaty Cumberland or Toulouse style sausage.  As for lentils, the Puy variety are the way to go.

Feel free to substitute pumpkin or butternut squash for sweet potato, they are equally delicious.  Enjoy!

Warm Sausage, Sweet Potato & Puy Lentil Salad
Serves 3-4
1 large sweet potato, cut into triangular wedges (or substitute 1 small-medium peeled seeded butternut squash or pumpkin)
150g Puy lentils
1 Bay leaf
6 good quality pork sausages
1 red onion, finely sliced
4 handfuls salad greens such as lamb's lettuce or baby spinach
2 tbls runny honey
2 tbls wholegrain mustard
Olive oil
Salt & black pepper

Dressing
4 tbls extra virgin olive oil
2 tbls balsamic vinegar
A few good pinches sea salt
A good pinch or two of sugar

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.  Place the sweet potatoes on a roasting tray.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 25-30 minutes or until tender.  While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the sausages and lentils.  Tip the lentils into a saucepan and cover generously with water or stock.  (The water will need to be at least 1 inch above the lentils). Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes or until al dente.  Drain the lentils, then drizzle with a little olive oil and season if necessary.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the sausages, turning frequently, until golden and cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly. Once cooled, cut at an angle into thick slices.

Mix together the mustard and honey and set aside.  Whisk all dressing ingredients together, then taste and season to your liking.

When the sweet potatoes are soft and golden remove from the oven. Add the sausage slices to the pan and gently toss the potatoes and sausages with the honey/mustard mixture.  Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes or until everything becomes deliciously sticky.

Layer plates or bowls with salad greens, lentils and the sausages and potatoes.  Top with thinly sliced red onion and drizzle with balsamic dressing.

Festive Pomegranate Couscous

I could bore you to tears by telling you how much I adore couscous and its immense flexibility. I could also go into a dizzying amount of detail about the history and origin of these wonderful semolina grains. Or, I could save you (and me) the time by simply telling you that this salad tastes amazing and is absolutely worthy of your efforts! If you don't mind, I'll go with the latter.

The salty feta cheese in this recipe is complemented by the sweet pomegranate seeds. The pine nuts offer a subtle crunch and the red onion produces just the right amount of bite. The glorious vibrancy of the fresh coriander is the perfect finishing touch.

Finally, the Red, White and Green colours that make up this salad remind me of Christmas and Christmas is, well...fabulous!

Serves 4-6

1 cup couscous
Just over 1 cup boiling chicken or vegetable stock ( I always add a tiny bit more stock than couscous )
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (substitute dried cranberries if desired)
1/3 cup good quality crumbled feta cheese
1/2 small English cucumber, diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Large handful coriander (cilantro) roughly chopped

Tip couscous into a bowl, pour over the boiling stock and cover with a tight fitting lid. Leave for about ten minutes.

Fluff up couscous with a fork. Add all of the salad ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Enjoy with a glass of fruity Rosé.

Roasted Squash, Beetroot & Goat's Cheese Salad

This winter salad is bursting with flavour. It is simple, colourful and satisfying.

I love butternut squash for its nutty flavour and its tremendous versatility in the kitchen. I have prepared it in a variety of ways, sweet and savory, but I find that it is particularly yummy when roasted. Roasting butternut squash intensifies its flavour producing a wonderfully sweet and nutty taste with a deliciously silky texture. Roasted butternut squash is great in warm salads with ingredients such as goats cheese, pine nuts and peppery arugula.

So, when I came across this recipe recently, I knew I was going to love it and that it was destined to live happily on this blog. I jazzed up the dressing a little bit, added a few ingredients here and there, and as a result, was very happy with the finished dish.

I had never roasted beetroot before so I was interested to see how it came out. I didn't bother to peel it as I heard that the skin was delicious. And it was!



Feta can be substituted for goats cheese if you prefer. And to make the dish vegetarian, simply leave out the pancetta.

This salad is a great accompaniment to roast chicken. It is also pretty fantastic served with nothing more than a big glass of red wine!

Enjoy!

Serves 4

1 large butternut squash, washed and cut into wedges (no need to peel)
4 medium beetroot, trimmed, scrubbed and cut into wedges
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
4-6 fresh sage leaves
200g (7 oz) soft goats cheese, crumbled
50g pine nuts, lightly toasted
200g diced pancetta or bacon
6 oz mixture of Spinach and Arugula/Rocket leaves

Dressing:
3 tbls balsamic vinegar
2 tbls olive oil
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar or splenda (less if you have a sweeter balsamic)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Place beetroot and butternut squash with the sage and thyme on a large roasting tray. Toss with 1 tbls olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 - 50 minutes (depending on the size of the pieces), turning half way through. Roast until the beetroot is tender and the squash is soft and golden.



Mix dressing ingredients together thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed. Fry pancetta or bacon until crisp, set aside.

When squash and beetroot are done, remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
Arrange mixed salad leaves onto a large platter. Place butternut squash and beetroot on top.
Spoon over the crumbled goat's cheese and scatter with the pancetta and toasted pine nuts.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad or serve along side. Serve salad immediately.

Crispy Gnocchi Salad

Have you heard about the pan-fried gnocchi sensation? I discovered it last summer and have had a slight obsession with it ever since. I have served this culinary marvel using a variety of methods; however, today's recipe has to be my absolute favorite way of presenting pan-fried gnocchi!

The crispy goodness works wonderfully in this salad with the creamy goat's cheese. In addition, the tangy goat's cheese compliments the intense fruitiness of the sunblush tomatoes. Furthermore the sausage adds that "extra something" that any good carnivore would appreciate. And finally the red onion creates just the right amount of sharpness that produces the perfect overall balance. It is, you could say, a combination made in heaven.

There is an added bonus: You can prepare most of the ingredients in advance. Up to 24 hours in advance if you wish!
I would; however, advise that you cook the gnocchi 10-20 minutes before serving. If you refrigerate it, the gnocchi will become chewy and lose its crispiness.

So here it is...My Crispy Gnocchi Salad..



Serves 4-6

1 pound fresh gnocchi
4 good quality sausages, sliced, (I like Aidells - Organic Sweet Basil and Roasted Garlic)
1/2 cup sunblush tomatoes
6 oz leafy salad greens
6 oz soft goat's cheese, crumbled or rolled into balls, time consuming, but pretty :)
Small red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbls olive oil
1 tsp truffle oil ( optional, but highly recommended )
1 tbls dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt

Whisk the dressing ingredients together thoroughly until thick and refrigerate until ready to use.
Note: The quantity of each ingredient in this dressing is perfect for me; however, if you feel that it is too tangy for your taste, just add a little more salt or olive oil until you achieve your desired taste.

In a large skillet, over a medium high heat, saute sausage until nicely browned. Remove from skillet and set aside to cool. Wipe pan clean and heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add gnocchi and cook until golden and crisp all over. Between 3-5 minutes per side. Season with salt and set aside to cool. Once the sausage and gnocchi is at room temperature start preparing the salad.

On a large platter, place a layer of the salad greens. Top with the gnocchi, sausage, tomatoes, red onion and goat's cheese. Serve with the dressing on the side.