Glamorgan sausages "my way"

: 04 September 2014

Everyone will agree that we live in the most beautiful country in the world. A country that combines everything ... islands, seas, lakes, rivers, valleys, mountains.

But there, on the world map, there are more marvelous countries. Until now, I've been lucky and have visited many places and I feel excited. But there are more countries that I want to visit, cause I find them interesting. A future travel destination is Wales. Wales is one of the countries that are part of the United Kingdom. A country that is mostly flat with few mountains but with a wonderful climate at an average January temperature to be -1C and in July an average of 18C. The Medieval castles that can be found all over the country are unbelievable. I'm sure that once you get to Wales, you are immediately transferred to the ancient years and live a fairy tale. I think a trip to Wales will be a wonderful experience. If you want more information, can be found here.

Gastronomically ... let's see what happens in Wales. The Welsh cuisine if influenced by the British cuisines but it is still interesting and worth-tasting. In culinary palette, will certainly be found dairy products, with cheeses to have the first place. The meat has a prominent position as beef and sheep farming is the main occupation of most residents. Dishes with lamb as basic ingredient, is associated with the Welsh tradition. Of course, whatever sea offers is not neglected. In coastal areas, seafood and fish are the stars on their tables. The leek is the hallmark of Welsh cuisine. It's an ingredient that is frequently used. This information has pleasantly surprised me since leek is a vegetable that I love. Unfortunately, I have to wait a bit longer in order to taste all that Wales has to offer. Until then ... I get the opportunity that British Embassy gives me and I attend a Welsh culinary week, which is called "Tasting #mywales", by preparing one of the traditional dishes of the country.

The dish I've chosen to share with you, is the Welsh sausages (Glamorgan Sausages).

Do not be misled by the name. There's no meat in the recipe and apart from the shape the name does not resemble to the "known" sausages.

It is actually a kind of fried croquette in the shape of a sausage. The basic materials are, leek (of course) and cheese, which are joined together by the addition of breadcrumbs and egg and flavored with spices to tie the result. In most recipes the cheese that is used is the Caerphilly cheese, which is a special cheese but well known all over Wales. Unfortunately, here in Greece we cannot find it, so I replaced it with a mature cheddar (the white one). Carrot, thyme, mint and mustard have been added to the basic ingredients, for extra flavor, while for the coating, along with breadcrumbs, I used a bit of semolina for crispier outcome. Excellent results. The sweetness of the leek and the carrot is balanced by the saltiness of the cheese while herbs give a tone of freshness to the mixture.

A mouthwatering glamorgan sausage!

Ingredients :

2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh mint
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
180 gr mature cheddar (grated)
100 gr carrots (grated)
250 gr leeks (finely chopped rounds)
100 gr breadcrumbs
30 gr butter
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp English mustard powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

for the coating

30 gr fine semolina
50 gr breadcrumbs
1 egg

Preparation :

Wash, peel and cut leeks in finely rounds.
Wash, peel and grate the carrots.
Heat the butter in a frying pan.
Add leeks and carrots and reduce heat to medium-high.
Stir and cook till leeks are soft and translucent.
Remove from heat and keep aside.
In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, the cheese, the herbs, salt and pepper.
In another bowl mix gently the eggs with the dry mustard.
Add the eggs to the breadcrumb mixture.
Add the leeks and the carrots.
Mix well until well combined and until you have a firm consistency.
Take one spoonful of the mixture and form small sausages with your hands. Place them on a tray. Put the tray in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the coating.
In a bowl lightly whisk the egg with two drops of water.
In a separate bowl mix the breadcrumbs with the semolina.
Get sausages off the fridge and coat them first by dipping them into egg wash and then by rolling them to the breadcrumbs.
In a deep frying pan heat the olive oil.
Fry the sausages in medium-high heat, turning regularly, till golden brown.
Remove from the pan and place them in a plate lined with paper towel, to absorb the excess oil.
Serve and enjoy.