Food
From Ashley

Name: Dad's Sausage Casserole with Dumplings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 servings

Dad's Sausage Casserole with Dumplings

15 minutes

75 minutes

£ £ £

15 minutes

75 minutes

6 People

£ £ £

12 sausages

¼ cup olive oil.

2 large onions sliced.

2 large carrots, chopped.

2 sticks celery chopped.

2 large parsnips chopped

2 cups stock.

2 cups cider or beer

2 x can 400 grams whole tomatoes.

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

6 sprigs thyme

3 fresh bay leaves.

optional 2 cooking apples

Mixed Beans - I like to use butter beans and cannellini beans

100g self-raising flour

50g shredded suet

Salt and Pepper

This delicious slow-cooked stew is perfect for this cold weather. You can substitute vegan sausages and add them right at the end.

Heat oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or casserole dish and add onions.
Cook for 5 minutes until onion is golden. Add carrot, celery and parsnip to the pan (and apple if using) and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
Add sausages to pan and brown in batches until browned and sealed.
Return all sausages to pan and add stock, Guinness, tomatoes, beans and herbs.
Bring to the boil and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
Then return vegetables to pan and simmer for another hour or until sausages are cooked and the sauce has thickened (can add some cornflour/water to thicken if needed).
In a large bowl mix the flour with the suet and a pinch of salt. Add 3 tbsp cold water and stir. If the dough is dry add more water until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Divide the dough into 12 and shape into balls with floured hands. Leave to one side.
Add the dumplings 20 - 30 minutes before the end of cooking.
Remove rosemary and thyme sprigs & bay leaves and season to taste.