Quick Cassoulet for British Sausage Week

It's British Sausage Week this week, and the hunt is on for Britain's best sausages. I get my sausages at our local butcher, Greens of Pangbourne, and I think theirs are the best anywhere. I developed this recipe using their pork and caramelised onion variety, and it turned out beautifully. 

It's important to use pork products that have been ethically raised and that are free range or organic if possible. In the UK, the Red Tractor Symbol is a way of knowing that the pork you are buying is not only from the UK, but has been ethically and humanely raised. All Red Tractor endorsed products can be traced back to their farms of origin, which are regularly visited by independent inspectors. 

Pork from pigs that have been raised with a high standard of welfare not only tastes better in my opinion, but many studies have shown it is actually better for you than intensively raised meat. So buy the best sausages you and give this easy and delicious recipe a try this weekend.

Cassoulet is a rich, slow cooked stew or casserole containing beans and some kind of meat, often sausages. It is French comfort food at its finest and a real treat. The quantities below are to serve 2 people, but the recipe is easily doubled. You just need a bigger casserole!

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 to 6 good, meaty pork sausages

(made from ethically sourced meat)

2 red onions, thinly sliced

1 to 2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 red pepper, de-seeded and thinly sliced

1 can (about 14 ounces) chopped tomatoes, preferably organic

1 can (about 14 ounces) mixed beans, preferably organic, drained and rinsed

1 bay leaf

2 to 3 generous tablespoons basil pesto

Preheat the oven to 375℉ (about 160 - 170℃ for a fan oven). If possible, use a stove top to oven casserole dish - but if you don’t have one, use a frying pan to start and transfer the ingredients to an oven safe casserole before you put them in the oven.

Heat the oil in the oven safe casserole dish over medium heat on the stove top. Add the sausages and fry them gently, just until they begin to colour a bit. Add the thinly sliced onions and fry gently for two to three minutes.

Grate in the garlic, and add the sliced red pepper, canned tomatoes and beans. Nestle the bay leaf into the mixture, and stir through.

Pop on the lid and put everything in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring once half-way through cooking. If the mixture seems to be cooking too fast, turn the heat back a bit. After 30 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven, carefully take out the bay leaf and stir in the pesto. Check the sausages to ensure they are fully cooked. Return the casserole to the oven for about five to ten minutes just to round everything out.

Serve with crushed new (or mashed) potatoes and a nice glass of red wine.