Sausage and Mushroom Casserole

 

Now and then in the wintertime when all is grey and filled with drizzle, in between storm and gale,  God sends a golden day, a day filled with skies of blue and warm sunlight, almost too lovely to be real.   You want to hang onto the sunshine in hope, but . . . before too long the rain and drizzle return . . . sigh . . . such is winter on these verdant green isles . . .

There is nothing for it but to hunker down and keep warm by the fire.  Hearty casseroles, soups and stews are the order of the day.   Sustaining comfort foods . . . just like this sausage and mushroom casserole I am showing you today.

It's a simple casserole, using simple things.  Most of my recipes are . . . I am a simple woman with simple tastes and I live with a man of the same ilk.  He would be happy with meat and potatoes every day of the week, every day of the year.   He is very easy to please . . . which is not an entirely bad thing I don't think.

You want to use a well flavoured meaty sausage for this delicious casserole.  I had some lovely ones in the freezer which I had been sent a few months back from the Heck Sausage people, if you recall.  Lovely sausages.   These were the 97% pork ones.  Nice.  Nice.

Browned in a flame proof casserole along with some bacon, onions and button mushrooms and then baked in a low oven until everything is meltingly tender and the gravy nice and thick . . . a delicious gravy flavoured with cloudy apple juice, thyme and garlic . . .  this went down a real treat on this cold and dismal day.

We had  celeriac and potato mash with it along with some carrots.  It was a lovely meal.  

*Sausage and Mushroom Casserole*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

A simple and deliciously heart warming and comforting casserole for a cold winter's day.  Serve with celeriac and potato mash, and some buttered peas and carrots for a taste treat.

8 thick and meaty good quality pork sausages (about 1 pound) 

1 tsp sunflower oil

100g of thick bacon lardons (about 1/2 cup)

1 large onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 tsp plain flour

350ml of cloudy apple juice (can use white wine if desired) (1 1/2 cups)

1 bay leaf, broken

1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

250g of button mushrooms, halved (about 2 cups)

salt and black pepper to taste

Prerheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.   Using a heavy based flameproof casserole, brown the sausage in the oil for about 5 minutes.   Remove to a plate.  Add the bacon lardons to the pan along with the onion.   Brown for 5 minutes.  Add the thyme, mushrooms and garlic and cook for several minutes longer, until very fragrant.  Sprinkle with the flour and then slowly whisk in the apple juice.  Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.   Return the sausages to the dish, along with any juices.   Cover tightly.   Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.   Serve hot and spooned out onto heated plates along with the buttery mash and veg on the side. 

Chicken, Bacon & Leek Casserole

 I love food this time of year . . . I know I say that all year round, but this is the time of year that we really start to get stuck into comfort foods . . . winter warmers . . . rich soups, stews, casseroles and bakes.



Food that, with the exception of a few small prep details, pretty much cooks itself.  Simple and wholesome ingredients, but let me tell you . . . more often than not there it nothing simple at all about the flavours!  Most pack a very delicious punch!



I've always been the kind of person that has been able to put things together and come up with something satisfyingly delicious . . . things like this Chicken, Bacon and Leek Casserole I am showing you here today.



It's simple.   It uses stuff you most likely have in your fridge, larder and freezer right now.  It tastes fabulously delicious, and it basically cooks itself.  I like to serve it with some fluffy mash. 




The Toddster is a real mash lover.  I like to cook some greens on the side as well, just for some colour and vitamins.  Today it was sprout tops.  I do hope you will give it a try., and when you do that you'll come back and tell me how much you loved it!  It may not look very exciting, but dull this isn't!

*Chicken, Bacon & Leek Casserole*

Serves 4  

Printable Recipe  

This may look a bit like a mess, but it's delicious!  It's one of those warming meals that pretty much cooks themselves!  I like to serve it with some mash or rice.

2 TBS olive oil

8 boneless, skinless chicken thigh portions, cut into cubes

(Discard any fat)

2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced

4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped

1 tsp summer savoury

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 stalks of celery

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

1 medium parsnip, peeled and sliced

pinch of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

125ml of dry white wine

450ml of chicken stock

1 dessertspoon (heaped) of flour, shaken with a bit of water in a jar until smooth 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium sized flame and oven proof casserole dish.   Add the bacon and chicken and cook, stirring occasionally until golden.  Stir in the leeks, carrots, celery and parsnips.  Cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the summer savoury and thyme, along with some salt and pepper to taste.    Grind over a bit of garlic powder. 

Add the wine and chicken stock.  Bring to the boil.   Reduce to a simmer and stir in the flour/water mixture.  Cook stirring until the mixture begins to thicken.  Cover tightly and then transfer the casserole to the oven.   Bake, covered, for about 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer, until the chicken and vegetables are very tender.

Serve hot with some mashed potatoes and crusty rolls.

Winter Warmer . . . Herbed Tomato and White Cheddar Soup, with Cheesy Croutes

 

I was recently sent a lovely hamper filled with goodies and asked to come up with a "Winter Warmer" recipe using some of them.  There were so many things it would have been possible to come up with one recipe which would use them all, but I certainly can come up with more than a few different recipes using a variety of the ingredients.

The term "Winter Warmers" symbolized comfort to me, something we all long for and cling to when the cold weather hits and this challenge could not have come at a better time as this weeks thermometer has dipped down into single and minus digits!  Brrr. . .

There is nothing nicer when the air gets cold than staying snug indoor by the fire.  The cold temperatures inspire us to eat heartier and soups, stews and casseroles are the order of the day.  When I saw the ingredients in the hamper I was immediately inspired to want to create a hand and heart warming soup.

 

There is nothing nicer to warm the soul on a chilly day than a nice hot bowl of soup. The Toddster he likes thick and creamy soups . . . I like chunky soups.  Today his desires won out and I created him a delicious creamy  Herby Tomato and White Cheddar Soup which I topped with some cheesy croutes to serve.  The soup itself is a testimony to good store cupboard ingredients . . using things like tinned tomatoes (there are some really nice ones out there today) and stock pots.  I used both the chicken stock pots and the herby stock pots to give the soup a lovely rich and herbed base.

I also used thinly sliced leeks.  Leeks give soup such a wonderful flavour don't you think?  The Toddster loves leeks in anything, except perhaps dessert!  I added some sour cream and cheddar cheese to give it added depth and a creamy richness.

I topped it with some crunchy and buttery cheesy croutes.  Not quite rarebits, but little buttery toasted topped with a mayonnaise, onion and cheese mixture which is then grilled until golden brown and bubbling.   They added a lovely touch to the top of the soup and a brilliant presentation. (These croutes on their own and cut into smaller shapes before grilling make fabulous appetizer bites as well!)

Simple and easy enough to enjoy as a lovely light supper, but at the same time rich and flavourful enough to be used as a first course party dish.  Enjoy!  

*Herby Tomato and White Cheddar Soup*

  with Cheesy Croutes

Serves 6

Printable Recipe  

A fabulously flavourful soup made with simple ingredients and topped with tasty crunchy little cheesy toasts.  Easy enough for a simple family light supper or lunch, but delicious enough for company.

2 TBS olive oil

4 to 5 medium leeks, trimmed and washed, and cut into half moons

(white and light green parts only)

4 (500g) tins of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice

(14 ounce tins)

900ml of water

2 chicken stock pots

2 herb stock pots

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt to taste

120ml of dairy sour cream (1/2 cup)

120g of grated strong white cheddar cheese (1 cup)

For the cheesy croutes:

6 slices of good white bread, 1/2 inch thick, lightly buttered

3 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese

3 TBS grated strong cheddar cheese

3 TBS good quality mayonnaise (such as Hellmans)

2 TBS finely chopped red onion

pinch of cayenne pepper 

First make the soup.  Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add the leeks and cook, stirring, until they have softened, without colouring.   Tip in the water, tomatoes, stock pots and cayenne pepper.   Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.  Cook slowly, uncovered, until all of the vegetables are very soft.  This will take about 20 minutes.  At the end of that time, using an immersion blender (Or using a food processor or regular blender with care and in batches) puree the soup until smooth.  Place back on the heat and bring back up just to the boil.  Whisk in the sour cream and cheddar cheese.   Taste and adjust seasoning with some salt if needed.   Keep warm over very low heat, without letting the soup boil, while you make the croutes.

While the soup is cooking, you can prepare the croutes ready for cooking.  Using a star cookie cutter, cut two stars out of each slice of buttered bread.  Place, buttered side up, beneath a heated grill and toast first on the buttered side, and then on the unbuttered side.   Cream together the cheeses and mayonnaise until smooth.  Stir in the onion, mixing it in well.  Divide and spread an even amount over each toasted croute on the unbuttered sides.   When the soup is done, pop the croutes back under the grill and grill until golden and bubbling.

To serve, ladle the hot soup into individual heated soup bowls.  Top each serving with two croutes and serve immediately.

Note, if you are unable to get chicken stock pots, you can just replace the water in the soup with a good chicken stock, and add up to 3 TBS of fresh chopped herbs.  I would use parsley, marjoram, and thyme.  I would also add a broken bay leaf.  Remove the bay leaf before pureeing.