Mick’s Made Up Sausage & Beer Stew

Eating sustainably does not mean you have to go completely meat free. You can still indulge in your favourites in moderation and focus on making veg the star of the dish.

Mick Kelly: ‘I was searching for ideas to make dinner and all I had in the fridge was a tray of sausages. Though I was tempted to go for a simple plate of sausage, eggs and chips, I had some veg in the basket from a harvest last weekend, and decided to concoct some class of a stew. It was surprisingly delicious, and warming on a cold January night. I would generally pair sausages with cider in a stew, but it being dry January all I had in the fridge was a bottle of non-alcoholic lager! Never mind, it seemed to work. Don’t worry too much about sticking to the veg ingredients – you could use celery instead of celeriac or swede instead of squash etc. Be adventurous. ‘

Ingredients

  • 6-8 good quality local dinner sausages
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 1 leek, chopped finely
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
  • Half a celeriac, peeled and diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • ¼ of a squash or pumpkin, peeled and chopped in to large chunks
  • Small bottle of beer
  • Tin of tomatoes or 2 tbs tomato puree
  • 500ml beef or chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp mustard (I used Dijon)
  • 2 tbsp chopped herbs (parlsey, rosemary and thyme)
  • 1 bay leaf

Step 1 - Cook

Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan. Cut the sausages in to chunks and fry them for a minute or so on each side until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. In the same frying pan, fry the onions, garlic, leeks, carrots and celeriac on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes (until soft). Transfer to a heavy saucepan or casserole.

Pour the bottle of beer in to the frying pan to deglaze the pan, scraping any nice brown bits off the pan with a wooden spatula. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for about 10 minutes to reduce down a little. Add it to your saucepan with the veg, and also add the stock, tomatoes, herbs and mustard. Bring to the boil and then add the squash or pumpkin.

Cook for 15 minutes with the lid on. Add the sausages back to the saucepan and cook for another 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Check the consistency – leave to simmer for another 10 minutes if it needs to be thickened or add a little boiling water if it’s too thick.

Step 2 - Serve

Serve with crusty bread or baked potatoes.

Ingredients

  • 6-8 good quality local dinner sausages
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 1 leek, chopped finely
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
  • Half a celeriac, peeled and diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • ¼ of a squash or pumpkin, peeled and chopped in to large chunks
  • Small bottle of beer
  • Tin of tomatoes or 2 tbs tomato puree
  • 500ml beef or chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp mustard (I used Dijon)
  • 2 tbsp chopped herbs (parlsey, rosemary and thyme)
  • 1 bay leaf

Step 1 - Cook

Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan. Cut the sausages in to chunks and fry them for a minute or so on each side until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. In the same frying pan, fry the onions, garlic, leeks, carrots and celeriac on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes (until soft). Transfer to a heavy saucepan or casserole.

Pour the bottle of beer in to the frying pan to deglaze the pan, scraping any nice brown bits off the pan with a wooden spatula. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for about 10 minutes to reduce down a little. Add it to your saucepan with the veg, and also add the stock, tomatoes, herbs and mustard. Bring to the boil and then add the squash or pumpkin.

Cook for 15 minutes with the lid on. Add the sausages back to the saucepan and cook for another 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Check the consistency – leave to simmer for another 10 minutes if it needs to be thickened or add a little boiling water if it’s too thick.

Step 2 - Serve

Serve with crusty bread or baked potatoes.