Slow Cooked Sausage Cassoulet

Brilliant Winter Food!

Serves: 4
Prep: Approx 30 mins
Cook: 8-10 hours on low

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Large onion, chopped
• large potato, cubed
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 12 chipolata sausages
• 200g bacon lardons or chopped up bacon rashers
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed/chopped
• 1 400g can of haricot or cannolini beans, rinsed
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1.5 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp of sugar
• Good crack of black pepper
• Good splash of white wine
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp flour

Preparation

Turn on the slow cooker to low (or adjust according to how long you want to cook it for). Fry the onions, celery and potato in the olive oil until starting to soften (approx 5 minutes). Add the sausages, lardons (or bacon) and make sure the sausages get browned properly or you'll have some floppy pieces of rubbish when it's done! :-)

Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then throw in the tin of beans and tomato pureé. Add the paprika, thyme, oregano and pepper and give it a good stir. Add in the wine and crank up the heat until it's boiling, then simmer it for a minute or so. Add the stock, give it all a good stir, sprinkle in the flour and sugar, then simmer until you have a decent consistency for the sauce. Remember that it won't thicken during slow cooking, so get it right now.

Throw it all in the slow cooker, then 8-10 hours later check the seasoning and add a tiny bit of sugar if too bitter.

Notes

Serve with a pile of green veg, ie green beans, broccoli.