ITALIAN SAUSAGE, PEAR, LENTIL
& WATERCRESS SALAD
SERVES 4
(^1) / 2 cup (100g) Puy lentils
1 tbs olive oil
500g Italian pork sausages
1 firm pear, cut into thin wedges
2 spring onions, thinly sliced into rounds
2 cups loosely packed picked watercress
1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf
parsley leaves
DRESSING
¼ cup (60ml) apple cider vinegar
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs Dijon mustard (we used
Woolworths Macro)
Cook the lentils in a saucepan of boiling
salted water for 15-20 minutes or until
tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
To make dressing, whisk all the
ingredients in a bowl until well
combined, then set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a frypan
over medium heat and cook
sausages, turning occasionally,
for 10 minutes or until cooked
through. Rest for 5 minutes.
Combine lentils, three-quarters
of the dressing and remaining
ingredients in a bowl and toss gently to
combine. Spread lentil salad over a platter,
top with the sausages and drizzle with
remaining dressing. Serve immediately.
BLOOD SAUSAGE WITH
BEETROOT, APPLE & FRIED EGG
SERVES 4
1 tbs grapeseed oil
500g blood sausages (black pudding)
2 tsp honey
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 red apple, cut into matchsticks
1 beetroot, peeled, shredded
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
2 tbs pine nuts, toasted
4 fried eggs and micro parsley,
to serve
Heat oil in a frypan over high heat. Add
sausages and cook, turning occasionally,
for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
Transfer to a plate, cover and set aside.
Return the pan to high heat, add
honey and vinegar, and cook, stirring
occasionally, for 1 minute or until
reduced slightly. Remove from heat.
Return sausages to the pan and add
apple, beetroot, mint and pine nuts.
Season and serve immediately with
fried eggs and micro parsley.
MENTION SAUSAGES AND most Aussies immediately picture backyard
barbecues and white bread. But the humble snag is actually very versatile, says
Darren Robertson, not to mention easy to cook with – a good thing, given how
time-short the Three Blue Ducks chef and co-owner is. With a new restaurant,
Rocker, in Bondi, Darren is always on the lookout for dishes that celebrate the
seasons. Which doesn’t necessarily translate as stodgy, dense food over winter.
“I like these recipes because they show that sausages are diverse and
adaptable,” he says. “A lot of people think they’re heavy; people naturally
associate them with bangers and mash and gravy. But you can also use sausages
in lighter dishes and salads. I love that they can be the most unpretentious thing,
but also be something of elegance, a thing of beauty. You can have a sausage in
the car park after the footy and it will be delicious, and you can have sausage
in a beautiful plate of food on a Saturday night and it will taste just as good.”
@darrenthreeblueducks @djrobertson
CLAMS, SOPRESSA & BOTTARGA
SERVES 4
(^1) / 2 cup (100g) fregola (Sardinian pasta
- from delis)
1 tbs light olive oil
80g piece sopressa, chopped
2 brown eschalots, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
7cm piece (35g) ginger, thinly sliced
1 long red chilli, halved lengthways
1.5kg clams (vongole), rinsed
(^2) / 3 cup (165ml) dry apple cider
20g unsalted butter, chopped
(^1) / 4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves,
plus extra leaves to serve
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs finely grated bottarga (cured
mullet or tuna roe – from selected
fishmongers and delis, optional)
Cook fregola in a saucepan of boiling
salted water for 12 minutes or until tender.
Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a saucepan over high heat.
Add sopressa, eschalot, garlic, ginger and
chilli, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or
until fragrant. Add clams and cider, then
cover and cook, shaking pan occasionally,
for 2-3 minutes or until clams start to open.
Discard any clams that remain closed.
Stir through the butter, chopped
parsley, lemon juice and fregola. Transfer
to a serving bowl and scatter with
bottarga, if using, and extra parsley.
Serve immediately.