Pork Sausage and Apple Stew

I was pondering what to make with a pound of pork sausage when I found a recipe in Nancy Fuller’s Farmhouse Rules calling for sausage and apples. In stews and soups, apples shine. They add a sweet, crunchy, tart note to savory dishes. The skins, which I don’t remove, become soft and easy to eat.

I like to cook with Gala apples, which are sweet, hardy and easy to find in the winter. I use an apple slicer to core and cut the apples into segments, then I chop each segment into smaller chunks. Don’t make the chunks too small or you’ll end up with apple sauce. If you are using a thick-skinned apple, like Red Delicious, you might want to remove the peels.

I un-case the pork sausages and sauté them with red onions and apples.  Add chicken broth, paprika and fresh thyme, salt and pepper, simmer, and you’re done. Serve this dish over rice or quinoa, or on its own as a hearty winter stew.

Springhouse Turtle Eats

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Pork Sausage and Apple Stew

A pound of pork sausage, an onion and a few apples are the foundation of this quick, delicious winter stew.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 medium Gala apples, cored and cut into medium pieces
• 1.5 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste (depending on the saltiness of the sausages)
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus extra for garnish
• Cooked rice or quinoa

Instructions

1

In a large saucepan with a lid, heat the oils until they shimmer.

2

Add the onion, and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.

3

Add the sausage, and sauté for another 5 minutes.

4

Stir in the apples, and cook for 1 minute.

5

Stir in the chicken broth, paprika, salt, pepper, bay leaf and fresh thyme.

6

Turn up the heat and bring to a quick boil, then turn the heat down low and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are cooked, but still firm.

7

Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.

8

Serve over rice or quinoa garnished with fresh thyme.

Sweet Italian pork sausage works well with Gala apples and red onions in this sweet-savory winter stew.

Springhouse Turtle Eats