When I am in the mood for comfort food and haven’t got the time or inclination to go out shopping I make a sausage stew. I always have a pack of sausages in the freezer and tins of chopped tomatoes in the cupboard but the rest of the ingredients depend on what else I have lurking in the fridge. Today’s stew is me being really lazy, not only have I made it 6 hours in advance but I also cooked the rice into it so I don’t even have to do that tonight.

Sausage Stew I

2 tbsp olive oil
1 pack chorizo (uncooked) sausages
2 medium onions (diced)
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 heaped tbsp sun dried tomato paste
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
1 tin mixed beans
250ml basmati rice
500ml water

Method
• Chop the sausages into chunks and fry them over a gentle heat in the olive oil.
• When they are cooked, take them out of the pan and leave them on a plate for later
• Continuing on a low heat, fry the onions until translucent.
• Add the tomatoes, paste, paprika, sugar and a twist of salt and pepper, bring it up to a simmer and leave for an hour on the heat, stirring regularly. I leave the lid on at an angle as it has a tendency to spit, even at the lowest temperatures.
• Add the rice and the water and stir until combined and bring back to the simmer.
• Put the lid fully on, turn the temperature down and leave without touching it for 15 mins.
• Turn the heat off and leave alone for 5 mins.
• Add the beans and cooked sausages and mix through, the heat from the tomatoes should be enough to warm the sausages and beans through but check to make sure.
• Serve now or it is just as good, if not better if left for a few hours and reheated.

After following my own instructions it turned out a little dry, if you find it too dry add about 100ml water at the end and gently warm through.