Sausage and Bean Casserole

This is a recipe for a quick one pot wonder.  I say quick because you can have it on the table in half an hour.  And no, I'm not trying to be a Jamie Oliver, even though I like his cooking style very much. Sometimes I have to prove to myself that I can rustle up something delicious without spending ages on the prep and cooking. I am the slowest person I know.

The French charcutier who has turned one of our pigs into delightful morsels of cured meats also made lots of sausages and while they are all very tasty, I really like the chorizo sausages. Especially for a dish like this.
You can use any good quality sausage, of course, but if you can add some cubed chorizo salami to the pot for extra smoky flavour, it makes all the difference.

Ingredients - 2 people

• 4 fresh chorizo sausages
• sunflower oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped or grated
• half a red pepper, cut into 1.5 cm pieces
• half a green pepper, same as above
• chilli pepper, take one that suits your palate, super hot or just mild, sliced
• 1 star anise
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 tsp cumin, powdered
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
• 1 tin +/- 400 grs kidney beans, drained
• 1 tin +/- sweetcorn, drained
• 100 ml water or stock
• Seasoning (salt, pepper)

Preparation

• Heat some oil in the pan and brown off the sausages on all sides. Give this time and do it over a low-ish setting. Add the oregano and thyme to this.
• When they are cooked through, take the sausages out of the pan and set aside.
• Depending on how much oil is left in the pan, you can add some or not. 
• Sauté the onions with the garlic until they're almost translucent.  Then add the peppers and chilli.  
• Sauté for a few minutes longer.
• Stir in the tomato paste and spices. Let it cook for a minute or so, but don't burn the spices.
• Add the beans, sweetcorn, stock or water and sausages.
• Simmer, with lid on, until everything has heated through.
• Season to taste.  I always add a good portion of coriander leaves, because I like it.
• Serve with crusty baguette or oven roasted sweet potatoes or both.

Fast food cooked at home.

Patricia xxx...x