Pork was used and the trimmings plus coarse pieces of pork fat minced together to form the sausage meat.  

Their popularity was instantaneous and they became festival and fairground food.  

Sausages were symbolically associated with the Wild Feast of Lupercalia and the early church tried to ban them from the empire on the ground of ruining public morals. The ban was not successful!

With its long illustrious past and the enormous selection available, the sausage is by no means a humble food.

As a cooking term, “devilled” usually means “spicy”.  

In this recipe the flavours come from a combination of mustard and curry powder along with brown sugar, which adds a hint of sweetness.

Devilled pork sausages with apple

Ingredients

zest and juice 1 lemon

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup tomato ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon madras curry powder

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons soya sauce

6 Old English pork sausages

2 tablespoons oil

2 onions – slice

2 cloves garlic – finely chop

1 red pepper – remove seeds and slice

2 Granny Smith apples – peel and roughly chop

¼ teaspoon each salt and ground pepper

Method

In a small bowl, mix together zest, juice, chicken stock, ketchup, sugar, mustard, curry powder, cider vinegar and soya sauce. Set aside.  

Using a large, shallow pan, heat oil and over a high heat brown sausages evenly on all sides. Remove and set aside.  To the residue add onion, cook until soft then toss in garlic, red pepper and apples. Return sausages to pan, pour in “devilled” mixture.  Season. Cover, simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove lid. Continue simmering for a further 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. 

With crisply cooked cabbage and creamy mashed potatoes, this sausage dish makes a tasty family meal. 

I like to use Savoy cabbage, which I bought from our local Farmers’ Market. It has light green, crinkly leaves with a mild, sweet flavour and is an excellent source of Vitamin C. 

If I can help with any cooking problems, email anne_morton2001@yahoo.com. Happy cooking!