Bean Stew

A great recipe for meat eaters or vegetarians, this bean stew is delicious with or without bacon. Great with almost all starchy side dishes, although I think it makes great comfort food when served with garlic bread, polenta or creamy mashed potato.
The maple syrup gives the casserole a lovely, smokey flavour, but if you are conscious of using sugar in any form, it could be reduced to 1 1/2 tbsp.

If you don't have a casserole dish that can be used on the hob, the stew can be made in a large saucepan, then transferred to a lidded casserole dish for cooking in the oven. Alternatively, it could be simmered on the hob, but I always find that it 'catches' on the bottom, and ultimately takes longer to cook due to loosing heat every time the lid is removed for stirring.

1 Onion, diced
1 clove Garlic, crushed
100g-150g diced bacon, or chopped back bacon (optional)
1 tin Cannellini beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 medium carrots, diced
1-2 parsnips, diced
250ml Vegetable stock
2tsp soy sauce
3tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
3tbsp corn flour
few drops kaitaia fire, or tabasco sauce, to taste

Using an casserole dish that can also be used on the hob, Fry the onions and garlic until soft. Add bacon if you are using it, and fry until the fat runs. Add paprika and cornflour, and stir until well coated.
Add the tinned tomatoes, soy sauce, maple syrup, thyme, kaitaia fire and stock. Stir well. Bring to the boil. Add beans and veg. Transfer to the oven & cook at 180deg C for 1 hour.

Countdown to Labour Day

For many people here in New Zealand, the fourth Monday in October, or Labour Day, marks the end of winter frosts and signals the start of the gardening season.
Keen to get in on the act early, I have several seedlings poking their tentative heads out of the soil in my 'green house' ready to be planted out in my new, hubby-built veggie planters in a few weeks.
As this is my first year of 'Square foot gardening'. I'm sticking with what I know. Broccoli, Cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, coriander and Lettuce already sown, with beans, potatoes, carrots, parsnips and strawberries to follow. No  heritage varieties yet.
It almost goes against the grain to be planting just one or two seeds at a time, but it really does make sense. Why grow your vegetables in a traditional manner, taking up more space than you would like to use up, and producing more veg than you family can consume before it wilts, unwanted, in the bottom of the fridge? By sowing only as much as you will eat in a week, every week, you will have a continuous crop of fresh, home grown veggies all year round.
So the theory goes, anyway. I'll let you know how it works in practice in due course!

Sausage Casserole

An old work colleague tipped me on frying onions with butter, sugar and paprika. She swore that it was the only way to eat them with sausages, burgers or hot dogs. She was right. I thought the method would work well in trying to recreate the sausage casserole mum used to make using a commercial herb and spice blend. Happily, it gave the casserole the perfect base on which to build the other flavours. Don't be tempted to leave out the sugar. It is only a small amount, but it really does give it a more rounded flavour.

500g Pork Sausages
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 onion, diced

1tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika

2tbsp cornflour
1tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2tbsp tomato paste
1tsp thyme
black pepper
500ml hot vegetable stock or water
2-3 Carrots

Brown the sausages under the grill or in a pan. Cut into 6-8 pieces, depending on size. Transfer to a lidded casserole dish.
Fry the onions and garlic in a little butter until soft. Add sugar and paprika, and cook for another minute or two. Transfer to the casserole dish.
In a jug, blend cornflour, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste together, with a little water. Stir in the hot stock, then pour into the casserole dish.
Slice carrots. Add to casserole.
Cook for 1 hour at 160deg c. with the lid on.

I like to serve this with some green vegetables and mashed or baked potatoes.