Recipe: Sausage & Butter Bean Stew

SAUSAGE & BUTTER BEAN STEW

A hearty Spanish-style one-pot recipe, which you can make in advance. Takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook in the oven. Raise it to dinner party level with local Dorset chorizo from The Real Cure.

Feeds 4 people   Oven temperature: 180ºC (160ºC fan)/gas 4

INGREDIENTS

• 8 local pork sausages
• A glug of olive oil for frying
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 4 slices smoked bacon, chopped into small pieces (remove rind)
• 8 thick slices of The Real Cure or other chorizo sausage (optional)
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
• 1 tin of butter beans (400g)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried), and a couple of bay leaves
• 1 large glass of red wine
• 200ml of chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt & pepper 
• French bread

METHOD

Heat the olive oil in a large, ovenproof casserole dish. Add the sausages and cook on a medium heat, turning regularly, for a around 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate.

Wipe out the pot, add a bit more oil and gently fry over the onions and garlic until
softened. Stir in the paprika. Add the bacon and chorizo and fry for around 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then cook for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce has reduced a bit and thickened.

Season to taste and add the herbs. Stir in the beans, add the wine and stock then arrange the sausages on top, burying them in the mixture.

Bake in the oven uncovered for 25 minutes until the sauce bubbles and the sausages are cooked through.

Serve with a robust green vegetable such as kale or savoy cabbage and chunks of warm French bread.

Variation: For a vegetarian version, use good veggie sausages, vegetable stock and substitute the bacon/chorizo for a sliced red pepper to fry with the onion.