Sausage casserole

Name: Sausage casserole
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 150g diced pancetta; 16 pork sausages; 2 onions, thinly sliced; 3 of each red and yellow peppers, cut into large slices; 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika; 2 tsp mild chilli powder; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes; finely grated to serve parmesan, plus the rind for cooking; 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed; 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed; 400g tin borlotti beans, drained and rinsed; 1 large tiger loaf or bloomer; 125g butter, softened; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; a small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 100g grated mozzarella; 100g grated cheddar; a large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 lemon, zested and juiced; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation and cooking time
- Total time1 hr and 30 mins
Easy
Serves 8

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
150g diced pancetta
16 pork sausages
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 of each red and yellow peppers, cut into large slices
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
2 tsp mild chilli powder
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
finely grated to serve parmesan, plus the rind for cooking
400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
400g tin borlotti beans, drained and rinsed

CHEESY GARLIC BREAD

1 large tiger loaf or bloomer
125g butter, softened
4 cloves garlic, crushed
a small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
100g grated mozzarella
100g grated cheddar

GREMOLATA

a large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method

STEP 1
Heat the olive oil in a large casserole over a medium heat. Tip in the pancetta and cook for a few minutes until the fat has rendered and it’s starting to crisp. Scoop out onto a plate. Add the sausages, in batches, and fry in the pancetta fat until really brown all over. Remove to a plate. Once cool enough to handle, cut each sausage into 3-4 pieces.
STEP 2
In the same casserole, cook the onions and peppers with a pinch of salt for 5-10 minutes or until softened and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the spices and tomato purée, and cook for a further minute. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and parmesan rind, fill the tin up with water and pour this in, too. Return the pancetta and sausages, and add the beans, then simmer gently for 45 minutes (this can be made up to 3 days ahead, and then reheated).
STEP 3
For the cheesy garlic bread, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Use a sharp knife to cut slits every 4cm lengthways along the loaf, ¾ of the way down. Turn and carefully repeat widthways, to create squares. Mix together the butter, garlic, parsley and a little seasoning. Use clean hands to work the butter in between all the slits, then sprinkle liberally with the mozzarella and cheddar, pushing some down into the gaps. Wrap up in foil and put into the oven for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and put back in to crisp up for a further 10 minutes.
STEP 4
For the gremolata, mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl and season lightly. To serve, let people help themselves to the casserole, tear off some bread, spoon on some gremolata and parmesan.