Overview:
By: Antonia Walls
Meal Type: Main
Cook time: 45 Minutes
Servings: 4
Description:
A hearty, warming one-pot dish – perfect autumnal comfort food! This recipe is easy to adapt - make this with vegetarian sausages if you prefer and leave out the bacon. You can vary the vegetables too – butternut squash or red peppers would work well – or swap the butter beans for cannellini beans!
You'll need...
Ingredients:
Equipment...
Method:
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Heat a slug of oil in a large casserole, add sausages and brown for around 10 minutes on the floor of the roasting oven - turn occasionally to ensure even colour. Remove sausages from the pan and set aside.
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Next, brown the bacon in the same way and set aside with the sausages.
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Add onions, carrots and celery to the pan and cook until starting to soften - add a little more oil if needed. You can do this on the floor of the roasting oven, but do make sure to watch closely and stir frequently to prevent burning.
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Transfer pan to the simmering plate and add garlic - cook for a minute. Sprinkle over the smoked paprika and stir to coat the vegetables. Stir in the tomato purée, followed by the wine. Let the pan bubble for a couple of minutes and then add the tin of tomatoes. Half fill the tin with water and add to the pan. Add the thyme and bay leaves and finally return the sausages and bacon to the pan.
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Bring to the a good simmer, cover with a lid and transfer to the simmering oven for 45 minutes (or longer).
- Whilst the casserole is cooking, prepare the crispy topping by finely chopping the parsley and stirring through the breadcrumbs.
- When the casserole is ready (you can test by checking if the carrots are cooked), transfer to the simmering plate, remove the lid and stir in the butter beans. Sprinkle the herby breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place the uncovered casserole onto a grid shelf on the 3rd or 4th runners of the roasting oven and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden.
- Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices, or with mash or jacket potatoes for something more substantial.
Aga Range Cooker Tips:
- When frying or browning the meat, use the floor of the roasting oven as an extra hotplate. This saves having the lids open too long and prevents messy oil splashes on the enamel top.
- The very top of the roasting oven acts as a grill - position the casserole near the top and you will achieve lovely golden crispy crumbs. Remember, all Aga's are slightly different - if your roasting oven runs particularly hot, keep a close eye so that they don't burn.
"I am Antonia Walls, a keen family cook who is passionate about the Aga way of life. I live in the beautiful Cotswolds with my husband, two energetic and endlessly hungry young boys and two greedy labradors. Our cooker is the heart of our home and I’m never happier than when leaning against it’s comforting warmth! I love developing flavour-packed recipes from around the globe and am a huge fan of ‘hands-off’ one pot dishes."
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