It’s nearly Halloween, a time when you will see a lot of pumpkins and squash in the shops. We deserve a good meal with this tasty vegetable and a bit of a party.
Pumpkins are very versatile and this first recipe makes for a very good mid-week meal that is easy to prepare any time of the year. O’Neills in Wexford do lovely dry-cured bacon lardons.
I put penne in this recipe but you can use another pasta if you prefer.
Sausages with colcannon is ideal feel good comfort food and very tasty into the bargain.
In recent years in Ireland there are so many good pork sausages being made. You will find a huge variety to try out on the supermarket shelves.
I serve this with mash and always make extra mash and put it in the fridge to use later in the week. The alcohol is probably gone from the gravy but for children or people who prefer not to drink just leave the stout out.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Penne with pumpkin, crispy bacon, sage and Parmesan
Serves four to six
4 tbsp olive oil
175g (175g) smoked streaky bacon lardons
500g (1¼lb) pumpkin, peeled, seeded and finely diced
15g (½oz) packet fresh sage, finely shredded
500g (1¼lb) penne pasta
50g (2oz) freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to garnish
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Sausages with colcannon
Serves eight to 10
1.5kg (3lb) floury potatoes (such as Rooster), peeled and cut into chunks
8 traditional style jumbo Irish pork sausages
225g (8oz) kale, finely shredded
2 scallions, very finely chopped
120ml (4fl oz) milk
75g (3oz) butter
Stout onion gravy, to serve (optional, see below)
Stout onion gravy
Saute thinly sliced onions in butter and season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with a little sugar to caramelise. Stir in a spoonful of flour and then pour in enough Guinness or beef stock from a cube to make a thick smooth gravy.
SHARING OPTIONS: