Feasts and Festivals: Guy Fawkes Day

Tomorrow, November 5th, is Guy Fawkes Day. I've posted a link to some detailed information from Parliament on my 2009 post. However, if you've only got half an hour, I just found this awesome (very irreverent) television program about The Gunpowder Plot (and it has Ronald Hutton in it, too!). You should go check it out. That way, you'll know all you need to know about Guy Fawkes Day (and it might make you laugh).

I've decided to make one of our favorite, comforting, autumn-y dishes for Bonfire Night (another name for today's festivities). Lincolnshire Sausage Simmer has a lot of flavor from the bacon, sausage, garlic, rosemary, thyme, white wine vinegar (I use the good stuff!) and tomatoes. Yum! Plus, it's pretty easy to make. It just takes some planning since you have to soak the beans and it takes a couple of hours to simmer. However, all you have to do once it gets going is check it every once in a while to give it a stir and make sure everything is simmering adequately.

Lincolnshire Sausage Simmer

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (expeller pressed)
6 ounces bacon, chopped
2 (10-ounce) packages breakfast sausage links (not maple-flavored)
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 sprigs rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
1 1/2 cups dried navy beans, soaked
1 quart hot chicken stock
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 (14.5-ounce) can chopped tomatoes

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large lidded skillet. When oil is hot, add the bacon and sausages and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove sausages to a plate and set aside.

To the bacon in the hot pan, add the onion and carrot. Cook 3 minutes, turning down the heat if necessary. Add the chopped garlic and cook another minute.

Put the sausages back in the skillet and add the rest of the ingredients along with a little bit of salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Bring up to a boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, turning the heat down if there's a danger of boiling over. Turn heat down and simmer, covered, 2 hours, or until beans are tender. Remove herb stalks before serving.

Serves 8, but leftovers can be frozen

Adapted from BBC Good Food

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Back in 2009 when I first decided to try my hand at making lots and lots of British food, I posted these recipes for Guy Fawkes Day: