Apricot and nut sausages (vegetarian sausages)

Apricot and nut sausages are packed with flavour and are sure to be enjoyed by vegetarians and meat eaters alike. This vegetarian sausage recipe is great for several reasons:

• You can prepare them quickly using a number of common store cupboard ingredients.
• You can make them ahead of time for convenience.
• A wide variety of nuts can be used.
• As the sausages are homemade you can be sure that they contain only nutritious ingredients.
• They help in reducing waste as any leftovers can be stored overnight in the fridge and served cold the next day.

The quantities in this vegetarian sausage recipe are sufficient for around three servings as part of a main course (about 8 or 9 sausages) but the recipe can easily be adjusted to make either a larger or smaller amount.

Ingredients

• 140g (4.9 ounces) dried apricots
• 1 medium sized red onion
• 80g (2.8 ounces) chopped nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews or a mixture of nuts
• 70g (2.5 ounces) fresh white breadcrumbs
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Half to 1 teaspoon mixed herbs such as a mixture of rosemary, basil, oregano, or Herbes de Provence
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A dash of olive oil to cook the onion and the sausages
• 2 eggs

Equipment needed to make apricot and nut sausages

• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• A large bowl
• Grater or zester for the lemon
• Large spoon and/or fork to mix the ingredients
• A roasting tin to cook the sausages
• A skewer to check the sausages are cooked
• Plate or board for the prepared sausages

How to make apricot and nut sausages (vegetarian sausages)

Start by chopping the dried apricots into small pieces. Next, finely chop the onion and cook gently in a little olive oil until soft.

Place the cooked onions, chopped apricots, chopped nuts, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, mixed herbs and salt and pepper (all the dry ingredients) in a large bowl and mix together.

Once the dry ingredients have been mixed, add the eggs and mix again until the ingredients form a single mass.

Take a spoonful of the mixture and form into a sausage shape using your hands. I recommend forming short chunky sausages so that they hold together, if they are too long and thin they may fall apart. Repeat with the rest of the mixture and place the prepared sausages on a plate or board and set aside for a minimum of half an hour before cooking.

Cook the sausages in a a dash of olive oil in a roasting tin at 200^oC, 400^oF, gas mark 6 until they are golden. This is likely to take around 20 to 30 minutes. Turn the sausages over several times during the cooking time so that they cook evenly. You can check they are cooked by piercing with a skewer, if the skewer comes out hot they are ready to serve.

Tips

1. Form the mixture into chunky sausages. If they are too thin they may not hold together very well.
2. The sausages can be served hot. You can also store the cooked sausages overnight in the fridge and serve the following day. They don't need to be reheated as they are delicious served cold.
3. These vegetarian sausages can be prepared ahead of time. You can make them the day before they are needed and stored overnight in the fridge before cooking.