Sausage stew

This is now a Preston favourite. I cooked this up in the lakes for the family and they loved it. It's just what you need this time of year: filling, heart-warming, and just generally yummy.

I like to take the skins off my sausages and then roll up into balls but to save time, you can just leave them whole (however, putting them into balls makes the meat seem like it goes further). Sear the sausages in a very large saucepan (the biggest one you’ve got). I used two packets (so 12 sausages) but if its just for one or for two people, then use one packet and you’ll have plenty left over. Once slightly browned on all sides, take out of the pan onto kitchen paper and then add 2-3 onions sliced in half moons, 3-4 garlic cloves chopped up, 2-3 peppers chopped, a fennel chopped, a few diced carrots and any other hardy veg (such as squashes etc) you fancy. Stir and colour them off slightly then add a glass of red (if you have any left over). Let the wine simmer down to almost nothing and then add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes (or if whole then use a knife and chop up in the can). Add half a tin of water too. Put the sausages back in, add a few bay leaves, salt, pepper, and any hard herbs such as rosemary or thyme.

The good thing about this dish is that you can add anything you have in the cupboards so if you’ve got some flavoured ketchup, mango chutney, fruit chutney, purees, then add them in and see how it tastes. I find a bit of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sugar makes it tastier. You can use it to use up your leftover veg and those sausages that have been sat in the freezer for ages. There really isn’t a time in which it needs to simmer for either – once the ingredients are in then just let it simmer until it tastes and looks ready to eat. If the vegetables are soft, the sausages are cooked, and the sauce has turned into a reduced tomatoey-richness, then eat away! A steaming stew is what everyone would come home for.

Serve with jacket potatoes, cous cous, mash or anything you fancy.

ZP x

Sunday roast: topside of beef

Not a nice Monday morning at the dentist. Being sofa ridden with a numb eye and aching jaw after 4 fillings, I thought I would show the roast beef I made last night.

I was impressed by how little time it needed cooking - it's certainly an easy joint to roast but the expense of it means that my usual chicken roast is more affordable. But having friends over and enjoying great food together was worth all the fuss. 

The creamed leeks I made are also amazing for a roast - just fry 3 large leeks with 3 gloves of garlic until soft then add a small tub of cream with 2 handfuls of cheese (I chose one handful of Parmesan and one of cheddar). Reduce the cream slightly and then put into an oven proof dish, top with a bit more cheese, and then roast for 15-20 mins until golden. It's a good dish to go with a roast because you can get it ready for the oven beforehand and then put in with the Yorkshires at the end.

Also, this weekend, I've had stew at my mums house - it was just as good as I remember - but it tastes better than it looks!

So, while I'm on a Liquid diet until I can feel my face again, I will be thinking about all the lovely things I can cook. I'm thinking of making stuffed ravioli with mushrooms and beef from the leftover from yesterday's roast...watch this space...

ZP x