[ess_post]
A combination of hearty sausages and wholesome cannellini beans makes this cassoulet the perfect companion to a cold winter’s night.
Ingredients
8 pork sausages (around 800 grams)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 large fennel bulb, halved and sliced thinly
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 cup red wine
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 courgettes, diced
2 x 400 gram tins plum tomatoes
400 grams (1 ½ cups) tomato passata or purée
1 x 400 gram tin cannellini beans, drained
salt and pepper
28cm ovenproof casserole dish with lid
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 175°C.
Heat the olive oil in the casserole dish over medium heat. Brown the sausages evenly, then remove from the dish and set aside.
Add the onion, sliced fennel and fennel seeds to the casserole dish. Season and cook until nicely caramelized, but not burnt. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, then add the carrot, courgette, tinned tomatoes and the tomato passata and bring to the boil. Return the sausages to the dish, tucking them into the sauce, then cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the dish, add the drained cannellini beans, mix them through and return the casserole to the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the sausages are browned on top.
Serve with crusty bread or creamy mashed potatoes.
