Necessity… the mother of invention

Sunday, mid way through making supper the gas for the hob ran out! Not too much of a disaster as the fish were happily baking in the electric oven, the salad needed no cooking, just the potatoes to do. So the resourceful ‘machine nut’ husband headed out to our camper van parked on the drive and rustled up some chips for us. Fish & Chips French style… no batter just delicious fresh trout stuffed with herbs and caramelised lemons and baked in the oven.

Despite getting a new bottle of propane we couldn’t get the hob working on Monday either. Panic! All the makings of a perfect Ratatouille collected from the market and the garden but no stove to cook it; a quick re think for an oven only recipe was required. The impromptu (what’s in the French vegetable basket) make it up as I go along Sausage Casserole was a triumph… and the ‘machine nut’ has requested that the dish makes it onto my list of regular weekday supper dishes!

Made Up Sausage Casserole
(Serves 2 generously with leftovers - with a few more sausages could be stretched to serve 4 or 5)

2 Toulouse Sausages per person
(or any good butcher’s sausage with high meat content)
1 Aubergine
1 Red pepper
1 Courgette
1 Onion
1 Carrot
2 Small Leeks
6 Mushrooms
3 Big Tomatoes (dipped in boiling water and peeled)
3 Large Cloves Garlic
Large Glass Red Wine
(and a small one to drink while you are cooking… it’s the French way!!)
Fresh Herbs – small bunch of each Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano
Olive Oil

Basil Oil or other flavoured oil to serve

Brown the sausages in a little oil (I did it in a pan in the oven but normally on the hob over a high heat would be better) a just a minute on each side to give them a little colour.

Chop the Aubergine, Pepper, Courgette into largish lumps (1inch) cut the Onion into wedges and chop up the leek and carrot into thick slices, quarter the mushrooms, peel and roughly chop the tomatoes.

Squash the garlic and peel then roughly chop. Strip the herb leaves off any woody stems and roughly chop.

Put all the vegetables except the mushrooms into a large casserole dish with a lid. Put in a generous slug of olive oil, add the garlic and herbs and toss them all together. (Don’t worry if the casserole is almost over flowing with vegetables they will cook down nicely.)

Pour over the Red Wine and add the sausages. Give it a stir, put the lid on and put it into the oven on a low setting around 150/160 ºC Gas Mark 2 or 3 for 2.5 hours or so.

After 1hour give it all a stir, push the sausages down into the liquid, replace the lid and continue cooking. Half an hour before the end of cooking add the mushrooms and stir again, replace the lid and return to the oven.

When you are ready to serve take out of the oven add a little basil or other flavoured oil and give it a stir. Ladle the vegetables and juices/gravy into warmed bowls, top with a couple of the sausages and serve with crusty bread.