We were in a local Italian restaurant just after Christmas and tasted these amazing sausages. When we asked where we could get them the waiter said they import them direct from Siena but the chef might let us buy a few. So we now have a stash of them in the freezer and this is the first recipe we’ve tried. If you live near a good Italian restaurant we highly recommend you try and blag some sausages off them. If you can’t get good Italian sausages get the coarsest ones you can find for this. Not exactly virtuous but comfort food at its best.
Baked Savoy Cabbage – to serve 6
- 1kg Savoy cabbage, cored and cut into strips
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 250g Italian sausages, skinned and crumbled
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 300g mozzarella, sliced
- 200ml double cream
- 40g Parmesan cheese, grated
Cook the cabbage in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and refresh in iced water. Drain well again and spread out on a tea towel.
Heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Brush an ovenproof dish with olive oil.
Put the sausages in a saucepan with the oil and heat gently. Stir in the tomato puree and 5tbsp water, season and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
Make a layer of cabbage in the dish, season, add a layer of mozzarella, add a layer of sausage, top with another layer of cabbage and season. Continue making layers, seasoning each layer of cabbage, until the ingredients are used, ending with a layer of cabbage.
Pour the cream over the top, sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake for 40 minutes.
Serve with some crusty bread as you will want to mop your plate at the end.
(Original recipe from Silver Spoon)
Wine suggestion: We had a glass of Domaine Brusset, Cairanne Blanc 2010 which is dry, savoury and worked well but we thought it might also be nice with a dry Sherry like a Fino or Amontillado.
Jono & Jules do food & wine 
Leave a comment