As part of yet another healthy eating phase, I'm subjecting The Boy to a few meat-free evenings each week. I decided to create a new recipe this evening using Mediterranean-inspired flavours and vegetables and a slightly adapted crumble topping borrowed from a Minced Beef Crumble recipe that we both love. The rich tomato and balsamic vinegar sauce, mix of roasted and sauteed vegetables, and the crispy crumble and Parmesan* topping make this dish a successful vegetarian mid-week supper. Hoorah! 

Ingredients

For the sauce...
2 cloves of garlic - one whole with skin on for roasting; one peeled and minced/pressed 
1 onion - half for roasting in segments; half chopped finely for the sauce
1 red and 1 green pepper
1 courgette
Large handful of mushrooms, roughly chopped
175 - 200g drained and rinsed borlotti beans
400g chopped tomatoes
6 fresh vine tomatoes 
Generous glug of balsamic vinegar
Dried basil
Herbes de Provence
1 (ish) tablespoon tomato puree
Salt and pepper

For the crumble...
100g self-raising flour
40g margarine
25 - 50g Parmesan cheese, depending on your taste
Salt and Pepper
Paprika 

1. Heat the oven to about 200 degrees Celsius and add some olive oil to a large, deep ovenproof dish. Prepare some chunks of onion, a whole clove of garlic, red and green peppers, and courgette, and chuck into the dish. Add whole vine tomatoes. Mix with the olive oil, season well, and add a sprinkling of herbs such as dried basil and herbes de Provence. Put in the oven to roast.

2. Meanwhile, prepare a tomato sauce using the rest of the vegetables. In a large frying pan or saucepan lightly fry the minced garlic and finely chopped onion in a little olive oil until softened. Dice about a quarter to a half of each red and green pepper, half a courgette, and add to the pan. Keep moving and soften the vegetables.  Add the chopped mushrooms and stir.

3. Add a big splash of balsamic vinegar and a generous tablespoon of tomato puree and coat the pan with the liquid. It will reduce quickly. Add some herbs and then the chopped tomatoes, filling the empty can about half-full with tap water and adding to the mixture. Stir well and leave to simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes.

4. Keep an eye on the roast vegetables and keep giving a shake. When they are turning golden-brown, prepare the crumble topping. Put the flour in a bowl and add the margarine, cut into small chunks. Rub between the fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the grated Parmesan and some salt and pepper.

5. Add the borlotti beans to the pan and stir into the sauce. Take the roast vegetables out of the oven and add the sauce to the ovenproof dish, stirring everything well. Using a spoon, sprinkle the crumble mixture all over the top of the dish and add a dusting of paprika. Bake in the oven at 190 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes or until the topping is golden-brown and crisp.

I served the Savoury Crumble with potato wedges cooked in olive oil, pepper and paprika. The Boy likes his carbs. It would work equally well with a nice green salad.


Enjoy! :-)
    
*Check the Parmesan you use is actually vegetarian if you are serving this to actual vegetarians!

What do you do when your parents donate a stack load of locally sourced vegetables to your groceries? Chuck them all in a pot with some big fat Cumberland sausages, herbs, chilli and chopped tomatoes and simmer. Or if, like me, you need a recipe to follow, see below for more details.

Autumn Sausage Stew

You'll need:

Olive oil
Bacon, chopped finely with fat on
Chopped onion
Crushed garlic (according to taste - I used 3 small cloves)
Diced red chilli
Chopped spring onion (according to your taste - I used 1, all of the white and some of the green bit)
Cumberland or other flavoursome sausages, allow 3 per person
1 large carrot, sliced
2 parsnips, large cubes
Chopped tinned tomatoes
Beef stock cube and approx. 400ml of hot water
Salt & pepper
Caraway seeds
Herbes de Provence
Tomato puree
Small tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Butternut squash, sliced and roasted in a little oil

1. Gently fry the garlic, onion, spring onion and chilli in olive oil in a big stock pot.

2. When softened, add the sausages and fry until the skin turns golden-brown.

3. Add the carrot and parsnip and fry for a few minutes, until onion etc is turning dark gold.
4. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes (400ml), followed by a few squeezes of tomato puree and then season and add herbs/seeds, to taste. Stir well.

5. Top up with stock made with beef stock cube and hot water until the veg is covered with liquid. Stir well and cover the pot with a lid and leave to simmer.

6. Meanwhile, peel and slice some butternut squash into wedges and roast in an oven at 180 degrees with a little olive oil. Turn halfway through cooking - should take about 30 minutes for them to be cooked through and nicely browning at the edges.

7. Simmer the stew for as long as you like, stirring occasionally and ensuring the vegetables don't get too mushy! I cooked it for about 1 hr, before removing the lid and adding the beans.

8. When the stew starts to thicken, add the roasted butternut squash and stir through. Most liquid should be absorbed, leaving a thick sauce and moist sausages and vegetables. Serve with some chopped chives and extra seasoning if required.

We had this stew with some stuffing balls - red onion, pepper and sage flavour goes well. You could also try it with some french stick or mashed potato if you're really hungry! ;-)

A yummy comfort food dish for a chilly autumn evening. Photo to follow...

Enjoy! :-)

A fab quick and easy supper - a cheat's stew

Saturday night dinner was created by the Boy this weekend - based on his favourite combinations of ingredients, Toulouse Sausages and Butter Beans. I'm not sure how happy he was about me immediately asking for the recipe to add to my blog (he doesn't buy in to this "arty, bohemian, social media stuff") but it was so delicious I had to share it...



What you'll need:

Toulouse Sausages
Canned butter beans
Leeks
Garlic
Vegetable stock
White wine
Chilli flakes
Bacon
Olive oil

Serve with: green beans, roasted tomatoes and french stick

1. Fry the sausages, allow 2 per person, in a big frying pan until coloured.

2. Add and gently fry chopped garlic, leeks and small pieces of bacon in a little olive oil to the pan.

3. When soft, add the drained butter beans and stir through. Add a little water and vegetable stock - not too much liquid - and allow to boil down. Add white wine, salt and pepper and some chilli flakes if you like a little kick. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated or thickened up and the sausages are cooked through. It takes about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile roast some good size tomatoes in a little oil at 200 degrees centigrade, until the skin splits and they darken slightly. Boil or steam the green beans.

5. Slice some french stick and serve on the side, with a glass of white wine (like a Sancerre).

This is delicious and really filling, with a gorgeous garlicky, spicy, warming flavour of wholesome beans and meat. As the Boy says, its not an exact science so improvise with the quantities to get the best taste and consistency to suit you. Real comfort food.

Enjoy! :-)