Sunday, January 7th, 2007
Quick Time Sausage Cassoulet
This cassoulet comes from Jamie Oliver's cook book 'Jamie's Kitchen'. It's a handy, store-cupboard recipe that's meant to be taken as a rough guide regarding the ingredients. I've tried it with ordinary mushrooms and fresh tomatoes, adding a little vegetable extract mixed with a pint of water in place of the porcini liquid. I've also swapped half the beans for lentils, the carrot for swede and added, as Jamie suggests, a couple of handfuls of spinach right at the end, just before I serve up. It tastes great whatever you seem to throw into it so just use what ever you've got to hand and adjust the liquid accordingly.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
2 handfuls dried porcini mushrooms, broken up
8 thick slices dry-cured streaky bacon
extra virgin olive oil
1 large bunch of mixed fresh rosemary, thyme and sage
2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
½ celery heart, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
½ bottle (about 14 fl.oz) red wine
3 x 14 oz (400g) tins plum tomatoes
2 x 14 oz (400g) tins borlotti or cannellini beans or use a mixture
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
24 chipolata or 8 larger sausages
1 large, stale loaf, crusts removed
1 small handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/GMk 7.
Put the porcini mushrooms into a large dish, cover with 1 pt of boiling water and allow to soak until soft.
Heat a large flameproof casserole or roasting tin on the hob.
Slice the bacon across into strips – called ‘lardons’. Fry in 4 tbsp of olive oil until crisp and golden.
Tie your herbs together with some string and add to the bacon in the pan with your onions, garlic, carrot, celery and bay leaves.
Drain the porcini, reserving the soaking liquid, add them to the pan and fry nice and slowly for about 5 minutes.
Add the red wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
Add the tomatoes to the pan, breaking them up with a spoon, then add your strained porcini soaking liquor and the beans. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Lightly season before laying your sausages on top – all higgledy piggledy.
Break up the bread into coarse, chunky breadcrumbs, toss with the thyme leaves, a little salt and olive oil and sprinkle on top of the sausages.
Place in the oven for about 1 hour until the sausage and breadcrumbs are golden and crisp.
Remove the bunch of herbs and serve with something like mashed potatoes or polenta.
Jamie's Kitchen . . . .
. . . is the ultimate guide for people who love great food and want to cook. It's packed with clear, no-nonsense advice and inspiration, as well as over 100 brand new recipes from the cookery course and the restaurant. Jamie's approach is honest and easy – this is not a heavy duty 'cook like a professional' book, weighed down with facts, figures and techniques. Jamie guides you through different cooking methods – from poaching and boiling, to char-grilling and pot-roasting. He encourages you to have confidence, a sense of independence, a laugh and – importantly – to be the boss in your own kitchen.
