Mauritius: Creole Sausage Rougaille In Baguette with Pickled Vegetables, Greens and Steamed Basmati Rice

Sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean the picturesque island nation of Mauritius was a well-kept secret for a very long time.  Sailors had known about the uninhabited reef-fringed tropical islands since the 9^th century CE but the islands  had really only been visited by  ship-wreck survivors, buccaneers and  pirates  (who may or may not have buried their treasure troves there), until the 1600’s when a group of Dutchmen attempted to establish a permeant settlement there. After several failed attempts  to colonise the islands the Dutch conceded defeat and abandoned the islands to the pirates once more. 

 

In the 1700’s France laid claim to Mauritius. The French brought in enslaved African people to work on sugar plantations, and on the backs of those slaves  established Mauritius as a prosperous trade out-post and stop-over port for boats travelling between Europe and the Far East. French corsairs were also sailing out from Mauritius  to rob British trade vessels on the high seas. Then, in a move that befits the plot of a novel the British retaliated, saiing in and capturing Mauritius from the French.  This led to rapid social change and after the British finally abolished slavery in 1836 successive waves of indentured and free sugar-cane workers  arrived in Mauritius from India and China. 

 

British rule ended in 1968 and now, after less than 400 years of human habitation the tiny multicultural islands of Mauritius are home to 1.4 million people making it one of the most densely populated countries on Earth.  Mauritians proudly claim African, French, Indian, English and Chinese descent and the sharing of their diverse food histories has resulted in a unique tropical creole cuisine that holds French culinary techniques at its heart whilst celebrating African food heritage and Asia spices. There are many nods to Indian cuisine in the use of pickles, curry and tomato sauce yet the Mauritian version of these dishes have a distinctive local flavour all of their own. Key ingredients in this flavoursome creole cuisine include fresh seafoods, meats, chilli, cloves, tomatoes, onions, garlic, rice and European  herbs such as thyme.

 

our

MAURITIAN

Menu included

CREOLE SAUSAGE ROUGAILLE in BAGUETTE

and

PICKLED VEGETABLES

with sides of

Steamed Basmati Rice

and

Salad greens

 

 

 

CREOLE SAUSAGE ROUGAILLE in BAGUETTE (Rougaille Saucisse)

 

INGERDIENTS:

·      500 gm fat gourmet beef sausage (e.g. smoked or with herbs and garlic)

·      olive oil

·      ½ bunch spring onions (keep white and green parts separate)

·      2 tbs tomato paste

·      3 ripe tomato, diced

·      2 garlic cloves, crushed

·      1 small piece fresh ginger, peeled and crushed

·      ½ bunch fresh coriander, stems and leaves separated

·      1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, removed from stem

·      1-3 fresh chilli (to taste) either sliced finely or whole for easier recognition

·      salt and pepper to taste

·      ½ cup vegetable stock or water (more if needed)

·      I fresh French Baguette, cut in serving sizes and sliced open

·      Fresh salad greens of your choice to go in the Baguette or on the side

 

METHOD:

1.    Finely dice the coriander stems and roughly chop the leaves and keep them in separate bowls

2.    Prick the raw sausages all over with a toothpick to stop them from splitting when they are cooking

3.    Now heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan and brown the sausages on all sides then remove them from the pan and cool

4.    When the sausages are cooled down cut them into 1 cm ovals or on the diagonal

5.    Add a little more olive oil into the pan if necessary (there may already be enough in there from the released sausage fat), and gently sauté the whites of the spring onions, coriander stems, crushed garlic, crushed ginger, thyme and chilli on low heat until soft

6.     Stir in the chopped tomato, tomato puree and stock and bring to simmer

7.    Cover the an and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally until sauce until sauce thickens

NOTE: If sauce gets too thick during this step add some water/stock

8.    When sauce is ready stir in the sliced sausages and cook for a further 10 minutes with lid on until sausages are cooked then take the lid off, stir well and cook uncovered for a few more minutes for the sauce to thicken

9.    At the end stir in the chopped green spring onion and sprinkle the chopped coriander over the top

10.         Scoop a good spoon full of the finished rougaille into the cut crisp baguette and enjoy with the greens and steamed basmati rice on the side

 

TIP:

If your baguette is soft/stale you can refresh it and make it crisp again for this meal by sprinkling it with a little water then popping it in an oven heated at 180 C for a few minutes until it becomes crunchy on the outside again

 

 

PICKLED VEGETABLES (Archard Legumes)

 

INGERDIENTS:

·      1 carrot, peeled and cut in julienne (match stick shape)

·      ½ cup small cauliflower ‘florets’ (see note for how to prepare)

·      ½ cup of finely sliced cabbage leaf (no core or stem)

·      200 gm fresh green beans (ends trimmed, cut in half and sliced longways

·      1 small white onion or 2 French shallots, peeled, halved and finely sliced

·      2 tbs black mustard seeds

·      1 tbs ground turmeric powder 

·      2 tbs white vinegar (or more)

·      2-4 fresh chilli, sliced lengthways in 1/4s (optional – to taste)

·      2 garlic cloves, crushed

·      3 tbs olive oil

·      Salt to taste

·      2 cups ice

 

NOTE: Vegetables such as cauliflower are actually made up of many tiny versions of themselves called florets. To ‘gather’ florets take your cauliflower, cut it through the middle in half then cut the half in quarters. Now slice out the core and use a small knife to cut the florets from the remaining stems. For this dish you probably only need the florets of ¼ cauliflower

 

METHOD:

1.    Prepare a medium pot of boiling salted water and a large bowl of ice water

2.    Now you are going to blanche the vegetables (briefly plunge them in the boiling water then rapidly cool them in ice water); only takes 2-3 minutes

3.    Add carrot julienne to the boiling water first, followed by the Cauli florets, then shredded cabbage and finally the beans and bring the pot back to boil 

4.    Now drain the vegetables through a colander into the sink, run cold water over them from the tap to begin cooling  then plunge them into the ice bath

5.    When the vegetables are completely cooled drain them through the colander and dry them in a clean tea towel or kitchen paper, then refrigerate uncovered to fully dry out of half an hour or more

6.    Whilst the vegetables are drying prepare a turmeric paste

7.    Use a mortar and pestle to crush a few of the mustard seeds 

8.    Then use a wooden spoon to mix the crushed mustard in with  the rest of the mustard seeds and the turmeric powder

9.    Now begin slowly stirring in the vinegar until a smooth paste is created. If necessary add more vinegar to reach the smooth consistency needed

10.         Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large frypan, add shallots/onion, chilli and garlic and cook over medium to low heat, stirring often for a few minutes

11.         Now add turmeric paste to the pan and fry a further 30 seconds using a wooden spoon until all ingredients are mixed well then remove from heat

12.         When the pan is completely cooled add the dry vegetables, any remaining vinegar, season with salt and fold all the ingredients together

13.         Pack the vegetables into an airtight container (such as a jar), and drizzle a little oil over the top and refrigerate

14.         The pickled Vegetables will be good to eat for 3 days id kept in the fridge

 

 

STEAMED BASMATI RICE

 

Ingredients:

·      2 cup basmati rice

·      4 cups water

·      ½ tsp salt

Method:

1.     Combine the rice, water and salt in a medium/large pot (that has a tight-fitting lid) and stir it all well with a wooden/bamboo spoon 

2.     Bring the pot to the boil stirring often and scrapping the bottom of the pot with the spoon to stop the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot

3.      Once the liquid is boiling give it a last stir and turn the heat down to low, put a lid on the pot and cook for 10 minutes on low

4.     Now turn the heat off (don’t remove the lid until ready to serve), and leave the pot to sit on the cooling element for another 10 minutes

5.     When ready to serve, remove the lid and fluff the rice with the spoon

 

TIP: 

If you want to have your rice in a nice round (or even square) shape on the plate like I have in my photo it is easy to do. Choose a ceramic/metal/pottery cup or container the shape and size you want your rice to be and dip it in hot water. Don’t dry it, just shake off any excess water then pack the rice into the container with a spoon and press the rice in a little with the back of the spoon. Then turn the container upside down onto the plate and give the container a little shake/pat and your shaped rice should drop right onto the plate.

 

These are all Q-ZINE original recipes informed by multiple sources including:

https://www.theafricangourmet.com/2015/08/mauritius-sausage-rougaille-stew-recipe.html

https://mauritian-cuisine.com/main-dish-plat-principal/food-recipe-easy-recipes-pan-roasted-sausage-with-baguette/

https://peachytalesplates.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/mauritian-sausage-rougaille-rougaille-saucisse/

https://mauritianfoodrecipes.com/all-recipes/pickled-vegetables-achard-legumes/

https://mauritianfoodrecipes.com/all-recipes/sausage-rougaille-rougaille-saucisse/