22 Street Lane Nursery - Dish of the Month

December 2017 Dish of the Month Recipe

Rustic Homemade Sausage Casserole

Ingredients: • 300g (10½oz) green or brown lentils • 2tbsp olive oil

• 8 best-quality sausages • 2 onions, thinly sliced • 3 sticks of celery, trimmed and sliced • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 1 large red pepper, deseeded and diced • 3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked • 1 bay leaf • 3 large tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and roughly chopped • 4tbsp tomato purée • 200ml (7fl oz) red wine • 400ml (14fl oz) hot chicken or vegetable stock • A handful of flat-leaf parsley

Method: 1. Soak the lentils overnight in cold water then drain thoroughly and set aside. 2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. 3. Heat 1tbsp of the olive oil in a large, lidded casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the sausages and cook, shaking the pan frequently, until they have a good, even colour on them. 4. Remove and set aside for later. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and sauté the sliced onions, celery and crushed garlic for about 5 minutes, until softened. 5. Stir in the diced red pepper, thyme leaves, bay leaf, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. 6. Add the soaked lentils, red wine, hot chicken or vegetable stock and stir well. Place the sausages on the top, cover with the lid and cook in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. Season to taste, then chop the parsley and scatter over the dish just before serving.