Ultimate Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

  • 8 Cumberland Sausages
  • Onion (one large)
  • Garlic (2 cloves)
  • Peppers
  • Mushrooms
  • Butter beans (2x400g tins)
  • Tinned Tomatoes (1 tin)
  • Assorted herbs
  • Chicken stock (300ml)

The method:

Grill the sausages and put to one side.
Brown the onion with the garlic in a large casserole dish. When the onions are ready, throw in the tomatoes, chicken stock, mushrooms and basil before dropping in the sausages.
Give it a good stir on the heat and add salt, pepper and maybe some coriander.  Place a small piece of rosemary on top (You might like to add chilli’s for some spice, in which case don’t use the rosemary) and cover before putting in the oven at around 160 to 180 for an hour.

Remove from the oven and stir in the butter beans and cook for a further 40 min/1 hour uncovered.

Serve by itself or with rice / potatoes.

Winter Root & Mushroom Pie (V) (or with chicken..)

Ingredients

750ml vegetable Stock
100g Celeriac, 200g Swede, 100g Parsnips & 2 medium carrots
25g butter
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic
5 Sprigs of Thyme
Salt Pepper
200g Chestnut mushrooms, sliced
150ml dry cider (or white wine)
3 tbsp plain flour
200g strong cheese
small tsp mustard (dijon)
Nutmeg to taste (if wanted)
Puff pastry (all-butter)
1 egg, beaten.
Chicken (optional)

Method

Veg stock in pan, add the root veg and simmer until they start to soften. Do no over cook, otherwise you will have a stodgy soup as a pie filling. Keep the water for stock.
Finely chopped onions, garlic, thyme and seasoning in to the hot butter in another pan. You could add diced chicken to this once the onions start to brown. When the onions/chicken are done, add the mushrooms and when they have softened add the cider / white wine and stir until simmering then add the flour. Stir in the flour and then add the stock from the veg – stir thoroughly and then add the veg then quickly add the cheese, mustard, season and grate nutmeg to taste then take off the head, pour in to a 25/30cm pie dish and allow to cool. Wack on the pastry, cover with beaten egg and place in a pre-heated oven at 220C.

Yorkshire Puddings

The Ingredients:

  • 3 oz (75 g) plain flour
  • 1 egg
  • 3 fl oz (75 ml) milk
  • 2 fl oz (55 ml) water
  • Sunflower oil
  • salt and freshly milled black pepper

The Method:
Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Break the egg into it and beat, gradually incorporating the flour, and then beat in the milk, 2 fl oz (50 ml) water and seasoning.

Wack it in the fridge and meanwhile put a shallow amount of sunflower oil in the tray and place in oven at 220. While the oil is hot, pour the mixture in to the tins quickly and place back in the oven. Should take 25 – 30 minutes.