What’s Stu Cooking

Believe it or not, this one beats an old favorite - banana nut bread - and gives us something to do will all the fresh rhubarb we get from the garden. The rhubarb really works to keep the cake nice and moist. Great sliced for breakfast with a nice pat of butter.

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk (substitute: 1 cup plain yogurt, or sour the milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups diced rhubarb
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Topping:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon softened butter

Beat together the oil and brown sugar until smooth. Gently stir in the egg, buttermilk, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and flour; blending only until just moistened and combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the rhubarb and nuts. Pour into two 8×4x2 1/2-inch loaf pans.

For the topping, mix the sugar and softened butter until crumbly and sprinkle over the batter.

Bake at 350 F for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and allow to cool.

From Sugar Snips and Asparagus Tips

This recipe was inspired by a favorite dish of mine - grillades and grits - along with a recipe from a muched loved cookbook - Sausage and Mash. Make sure you use a sausage with a high meat content. I like the chipolatas because they are generally meatier than most of the sausages I can find here in England, plus they fry up to leave a brown sticky goo in the pan that really flavors the sauce nicely.

• 1 lb chipolata sausages or other meaty sausage
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1-2 green peppers, 1 inch dice
• 1 large, mild red chili pepper
• 2 shallots minced (garlic or onion could substitute)
• 1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon four mashed up with 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 200 ml red wine
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 125 ml chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• chopped basil or parsley for garnish

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan. When hot melt in the butter, add the sausages and cook over moderate heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until the sausages have browned and left a nice sticky residue in the pan. Remove the sausages, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat and reduce the heat on the pan.

Briefly cook the peppers and shallots in the oil for just a few minutes and then add the thyme followed shortly by the red wine. Simmer the wine until the smell of the alcohol has diminished - about 5 minutes - then add the sugar and salt. Pour in the chicken stock and return to a simmer. Using a fork, stir in the butter and flour mixture in small bits until it is well combined and the sauce is slightly thickened. Bring the sauce back to a simmer.

Add the sausages to the pan, turning to coat with the sauce. Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is nice and thick. The cooking time is important to blend the flavors of the sausages and peppers and to mellow the sharpness of the wine and taste of the flower. If the sauce starts to get too thick before this time is up then just stir in hot water a splash or two at a time. If you didn’t add a red chili with the green pepper then you might want to add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce just a minute or two before it’s done cooking to give the sauce a peppery feistyness (don’t make it hot though, you’re going for mild here).

Serve garnished with the chopped fresh herbs. This dish is fantastic when spooned over grits (for my Southern readers) or polenta (for my European readers). Sauteed rocket and baby greens or a fresh salad make a great accompaniment.

Choucroute is a big time winter favourite in my house. This may not be the most appetising photo, but believe me, it looks and smells just fantastic when you bring it to the table.

Choucroute, a dish from the Alsace, is French for dressed sauerkraut and is simply sauerkraut cooked with pork, usually sausages and cheap salted cuts like ham hock and back bacon. My recipe changes slightly each time I make it depending on what I have on hand, this year it was a joint of belly pork and some bratwurst from the freezer. I have adapted this from one of my favourite books, The Taste of France.

• 2 pounds (1 kg) sauerkraut
• 1-2 pound thick cut streaky or back bacon and/or assorted salted cuts of pork
• 4 or 5 bratwurst (cervelas, Frankfurt, Strasbourg, or Montbéliard sausages could also be used but may be harder to find)
• 3-4 medium sized potatoes peeled and quartered
• 1 onion sliced
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup white wine (200 ml), preferably Riesling
• 3/4 cup chicken stock (200 ml)
• small handful of fresh thyme tips or 1 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 3 small bay leaves
• 1 or 2 cloves and 8 juniper berries (optional, I’ve never tried it)
• pepper to taste

If the sauerkraut is preserved in brine then you’ll need to wash and press it in a colander to strain off the liquid. However, I found some sauerkraut in white wine that only needed to be drained slightly.

Generously grease a casserole dish with lard, goose fat, or plain old vegetable oil and lay half of the sauerkraut in the bottom. In the next layer add the onion, potatoes and the pork (do not add the sausages yet). Season with black pepper and herbs, add cloves and juniper berries if liked. Be careful, little or no additional salt should be required when you take into account the salted pork, chicken stock and the sometimes salty sauerkraut. Place the remaining sauerkraut on top and moisten with the wine and stock. Cover and cook in a low oven (325 F) for 3 hours.

Place the sausages on top and continue to cook uncovered for another 45-60 minutes or until the sausages have browned and are cooked through. Make sure that the liquid in the dish does not cook off. You want about an inch of liquid left at the end so add a splash of wine if it starts to dry out.

Enjoy with a dry Riesling wine.