Use the best balsamic vinegar you can: it makes a real difference to the finished result. If you're a purist, you can peel the grapes, but it doesn't matter if you don't. I suggest serving these sausages with roasted new potatoes in their skins and French beans or another green vegetable such as broccoli.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
8–12 Sicilian sausages
1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into large chunks
4 sprigs of rosemary
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp molasses or clear honey
400ml (14fl oz) chicken stock
25g (scant 1oz) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small dice
50g (1¾oz) walnut halves
150g (5½oz) seedless green or red grapes
2 tbsp raisins
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200C (400F/Gas 6).
Heat the oil in a roasting tin or flameproof dish on the hob over a medium heat. Add the sausages, squash and rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste, then toss together well, place in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the balsamic vinegar, then roll the sausages in the mixture to coat them with the glaze. Return to the oven and cook for 10 minutes more. Remove the sausages with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Return the roasting tin to the hob. Over a low heat, add the molasses or honey and the stock. Stir gently, then whisk in the chilled butter.
Add the walnuts, grapes and raisins and continue cooking over a low heat for 5 minutes, then return the sausages to the tin and stir to coat them with the sauce.
Return the roasting tin to the oven and cook for 5 minutes more. Serve immediately.
• This recipe is taken from Sausages: Mouthwatering Recipes from Merguez to Mortadella by Paul Gayler (Jacqui Small, £20). Order a copy for £16 from the Guardian bookshop
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