Sausage, Cider and Butterbean Casserole

This is a very popular dish with my family. I am using vegetarian sausages but you could substitute any meat sausages of your choice. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

Jaine Chisholm Caunt, Director General of the Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA)

Category:

Mains

Pulse/Diet:

Beans, Lactose-free

Ingredients

For 5 Person(s)

Ingredients

8 quorn Best of British sausages
2 400g cans of butterbeans, drained & rinsed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1 red pepper, de-seeded & cut into approx 3cm long strips
1 • 1 courgette, ends cut off, and then sliced lengthways and then cut into 1cm wide semicircles
1 leek, cleaned, ends cut off, and cut into 1cm thick rounds
100 g baby button mushrooms, cleaned and left whole
1 stick of celery cut into 1cm thick slices
1 cooking apple, peeled and cored, cut into quarters and then sliced into 1cm thick slices
750 ml water
2 vegetarian stock cubes
5 ml marmite
500 ml dry cider
30 ml flour
30 ml olive oil & an extra drizzle of olive oil
30 ml butter
1 bayleaf
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 salt & pepper to taste
1 cornflour or gravy granules to thicken (if required)

Directions

1. Halve sausages and fry in 1 tablespoon olive oil until cooked.

2. Fry onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 3 minutes. Then add the leek, red pepper, celery, courgette, mushrooms and dried thyme. Season and fry for a further 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the vegetables, cooked sausages and butter beans to a hob and oven proof casserole dish with a lid.

4. Put a drizzle of olive oil in a saucepan and put the butter on top. Melt the butter and then add the flour when the butter starts to sizzle, to make a roux.

5. Cook the roux for 2-3 minutes whilst stirring continuously

6. Gradually add the vegetable stock (made from ¾ litre boiling water, 2 stock cubes and marmite) a ladleful at a time to the roux mixture whilst continuing to stir.

7. When all the stock has been added, add the cider to the mixture.

8. Add the stock to the casserole dish along with the sliced cooking apple, bayleaf and chopped sage.

9. Sir the casserole and bring up to the boil on the hob.

10. Put the lid on the casserole and transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°c and cook for 1- 1¼ hours. Thicken, if required with a little cornflour and water or gravy granules.