I clearly remember the first time my Granny said she was having black pudding for supper. I asked her what it was and she said it was made from blood. Well, I just about threw up and seriously questioned her mental health for a long time. What does pudding have to do with blood, I still ask, but even Wikipedia didn't go into the origin of the name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pudding . Do you perhaps know why it's called a pudding?

Whatever you choose to call it, it marries well with this warm salad. My mother was not keen on any such nonsense, so she had hers sans blood and it was still fantastic. The above photo is without the blood sausage and the one below is with Blutwurst. Try it without should you be on me mum's side, but do try it as it is a really lovely dish. I saw this recipe in the February 2010 issue of the British magazine Good Food and have adapted it to fit my likes.

The sweetness of the apples goes really well with the cabbage. It's also easy to make and very tasty on top of it. I served it with potatoes as a main course, but if you're cutting back on carbs then serve as is.

THE RECIPE
(Serves 4-6)

4-8 slices of bacon, chopped (or ½ – 1 pkt of lardons/bacon bits)
1 onion, sliced
¼ - ½ a head of red cabbage (about 800g/2 lb), roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges / lengthwise
1 tbsp sugar
2 blood sausages / 4 rounds of black pudding / 4 slices of Blutwurst

DRESSING:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp sweet mustard (or any flavored mustard, eg. Wholegrain)
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1tbsp honey

METHOD:

1. Fry the bacon till crispy, then remove from the pan. Add the onion to the bacon fat and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the cabbage and saute till wilted and slightly soft, about 10 minutes. Season and remove from the pan.
2. Add the butter to the pan and then the apples. Sprinkle with sugar and caramelize slightly watching that it doesn't burn. They should be slightly browned. Remove the apples from the pan.
3. Add the sausage to the pan and warm through. The pudding and the wurst tend to “dissolve” quite quickly, so only put it in the pan briefly to warm and then remove.
4. DRESSING: Mix all and pour over the cooked cabbage while it is still warm.
5. TO SERVE: Put the dressed cabbage in a dish, the apples on top of it and then the blood sausage on top of that (if using). Serve as is or with potatoes.

Deelicious!! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.