Sausage casserole

Most people get sad when summer's on the fade and the nights start drawing in.  I'm no exception, but there are some consolations - food like hearty warming stews, casseroles and roasts.

I had the day to myself today as I had to wait in for a delivery, so I decided to pass the time with a slow-cooked casserole to be frozen in portions for dinners when I'm next working late shifts.

Waitrose sell casserole sausages, which are just smaller than regular ones, but normal butchers' sausages will work just as well here.  The only other things you need are some sort of smoked bacon, a tin of butter beans, a tin of tomatoes, some pearl barley, an onion, some garlic and some herbs and flavourings.

The supermarkets also sell packs of mixed dried beans and pulses designed to add to stews - one of these would have been fine instead of the butter beans and pearl barley, but they often need soaking overnight so require a bit of forward planning.

I love my slow cooker, and I really urge you to get one.  They're dead cheap to buy, economical to run (claiming to use as much power as a light bulb) and they can turn the cheapest cuts of meat into delicious tender meals.  If you don't have a slow cooker, you can still follow this recipe but finish the cooking in the oven at 100C for a few hours, or in a heavy pan over the lowest possible heat on the hob.

The first thing to do is get some colour on those sausages by frying them in hot oil.  We're not cooking them now - just getting some colour on the skins, which will give them more flavour and visual appeal.  There's no hurry, so do them a few at a time to give yourself space to work in the frying pan.  When they're a nice colour all over, transfer them to the slow cooker insert.

Next, fry a packet of lardons (streaky bacon if you prefer, or pancetta if you want to be posh), again until they're starting to brown, and again transfer them to the slow cooker insert when they're about ready.

Now turn the heat down and sweat a chopped onion and a couple of crushed and chopped garlic cloves in the same pan.  When they're soft and golden brown, add a generous sprinkling of smoked paprika and get all the onions coated.

Now add the tin of tomatoes, a glass of red wine, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, a sprinkling of thyme and some salt and pepper, stir it all around and bring to the boil for about a minute.

Carefully transfer the sauce to the slow cooker insert and add 50g pearl barley and the tin of butter beans, having drained and rinsed the beans.  Stir everything around thoroughly, throw in a couple of bay leaves and cook on low for about six hours.

Financial Verdict

10 casserole sausages - £4

200g lardons - £2.39

An onion - 12p

Tin of tomatoes - 45p

Tin of butter beans - 46p

Glass of red wine - £1

2 cloves garlic, 50g pearl barley, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper - pennies, from store

Two sausages each seems reasonable, so this makes five portions at £1.68 per portion.

The Skinny

Brown the sausages all over in a frying pan, then transfer to the slow cooker insert

Fry the lardons and add them to the insert too

Sweat a chopped onion and a crushed garlic clove in the same pan

When they are soft and golden brown, add a heaped teaspoonful of smoked paprika and stir

Add a tin of tomatoes, a glass of wine, some thyme, salt and pepper.  Bring to the boil and cook for a minute

Transfer the sauce to the slow cooker insert and add 50g pearl barley and the tin of butter beans (drained and rinsed according to the instructions on the tin).  Stir everything around, then add some bay leaves

Cook on low for six hours