In Winter, food should be satisfying, filling and plentiful! When it’s cold outside, the heart & soul crave something with substance; and this dish is the perfect thing to ward off the chill! It’s robust in flavour, yet quick and easy to prepare; plus has that ‘added bonus’ of being a ‘one-pot-dish’, so you won’t be standing over the sink for hours or juggling 10 different pans at once! It’s one of those dishes which can simply be ‘left on the hob’ for 20 minutes, whilst you get on with something else (like write a blog…).

There’s truly a wonderful affinity between sausages and cabbage. It’s a combination that can only be described as ‘hearty’, both in texture and taste! The flavoursome ‘warmth’ of leeks and bacon provides a delicious background depth; all topped by a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese, which melts in slowly & adds a delicious salty ‘tang’. This is definitely one of those dishes to ladle into bowls and eat curled up on the sofa in front of a favourite film. As such, it’s the perfect dinner for a cold Winter’s evening, when all you want is honest, rustic comfort-food!

Because savoy cabbage is wonderfully low in carbs (1.57g per 100) this dish is great for a ketogenic-diet or those on a paleo-plan. There’s no gluten, so coeliacs can tuck in without qualms; as can diabetics, who won’t experience any impact to blood-sugars or have to ramp up their insulin-levels to account for it! My one word of advice concerns the sausages. Read the packet carefully, as many sausages contain breadcrumbs. Most supermarkets stock a gluten-free variant however, or ask your butcher who’ll be more than obliging! Low-carb sausages are in no way difficult to find, you just have to check before you buy that what you’re buying is right! It’s important to remember the net-cabs rule too (see here for details).

Start by cutting your smoked-bacon into a fine dice. If you can get pre-cut lardons, all the better! Place a heavy-bottomed pan onto the hob and melt in a little butter and a dash of oil to stop it burning. Then tumble in your bacon and seal this on a high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Roughly slice your leek and add this to the pan, along with your sausages. Continue to cook these for circa 5 minutes, until the sausages start to brown slightly and the leeks begin to collapse with the press of a wooden-spoon.

Meanwhile, thinly slice your savoy cabbage and give it a good rinse. Once the sausages begin to colour, deglaze the pan with a little port or red-wine, then stir-in your cabbage. Crumble in a chicken stock-cube and sprinkle over a good teaspoon of paprika. Follow this with a generous sprinkle of dried herbs (sage, oregano or thyme are perfect) and a dessert-spoonful of Dijon mustard. Depending on how much water was left on the cabbage, pour in boiling-water until you have circa 1/2 a centimetre’s depth, then place the lid firmly on the pan and simmer for 10 minutes until the cabbage wilts down and turns tender. Then remove the lid and continue to cook on a low heat until the liquid is all but evaporated.

Once the water is staved off, stir well and check for seasoning. Sprinkle a generous handful of freshly grated parmesan over the top and tear over some basil leaves to garnish.

Then simply ladle into bowls and enjoy… delicious!

Browse this and other recipes by picture on my pinterest page: country walks in ketosis pinterest.

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.