Sausages have always been one of Mum’s favourite things and onion gravy makes them so much better. At age 98 she still loves them. I don’t think she ever used a recipe, but this one comes pretty close to how she made them, although I’m pretty sure she cooked the sausages in dripping not butter.
This seems like a great way to give beef sausages a bit of a kick. Chilli, kidney beans and corn chips all topped with melted cheese, sort of a fake Mexican dish.
I’m not too sure when Oven Bags first came on the scene, but the first I knew of them was when my mother-in-law started using them in the ’70s. This recipe comes from a sheet put out by the manufacturers of Tiger Oven Bags. It’s an unusual way to cook frankfurts, but I actually think they may taste OK.
Mum’s friend Thel must have made this recipe using sausages, but from the handwritten title Mum must thought it was best with meatballs. I don’t think it matters which one you use, it tastes good with either.
SAUCE FOR MEATBALLS/SAUSAGES
Cook sausages or meatballs. Fry onions in oil until softened, stir in mustard, tomato sauce, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, fruit sauce or chutney. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Mix cornflour with water, add till boiling and thickened, cover then add sausages or meatballs. Meatball recipe: minced steak, 1 tablespoon cooked rice, onion, curry powder.
This recipe is in my brother’s lovely flowing handwriting, which means that my sister-in-law gave to Mum back in the 60s. Mum used to make it for casserole style entertaining and it tasted quite good, although personally I was never that fond of the tinned pineapple, you can use fresh pineapple instead if you have the same problem. You need around 750g of sausages.
What did we do before coconut cream in a can? The answer is in this old recipe of Mum’s. She may not have had canned coconut cream or a jar of curry simmer sauce or paste, but Mum’s curried sausages were still great and you can see by the age of her recipe that she’d been making them for a long, long time.
CURRIED SAUSAGES
Put coconut in saucepan with cupful of stock or water. Bring to boil, boil for a few minutes. Strain off liquid, discard coconut. Fry flour and curry powder in a little fat for a few minutes, add liquid from coconut, add sugar and lemon, stir well. Cook until smooth, pour into saucepan. Fry sausages till brown add to curry sauce. Slice onion and apple, fry till brown in little of sausage fat. Drain. Add to sausage and curry sauce. Cook slowly for 1 hour. Rice or chutney may be added.
I was really surprised to find this recipe in the collection. For many years Mum made a sausage dish that consisted of beef sausages, bacon, onion, corn, tomatoes and noodles. Although it was quite simple it was always a great hit and I’ve made in many times myself. This printed recipe is a bit fancier with chicken sausage, salami and garlic, but it’s basically the same idea. Either version is worth trying out.
