So that’s what I’ve given you: a sausage and bean hotpot, and the sort of hearty soup that puts hairs on your chest (that is, if you haven’t got them already).
ITALIAN SAUSAGES WITH RED-WINE BEANS
It’s worth making an effort to track down the right sausages (ask at an Italian deli for fresh sausages flavoured with fennel — salsicce con finocchio — or try Sainsbury’s Sicilian fennel and herb variety). I use ready-cooked canned cannellini beans out of laziness, but by all means soak and boil your own if you have the energy.
Serves 4
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Olive oil
8 plump, fresh Italian sausages with fennel (salsicce con finocchio)
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 plump cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick celery, sliced lengthways into 4, then finely chopped across
1 bay leaf 2 sprigs thyme
1 small dried chilli, crumbled
3 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (for about 700g drained beans)
175ml dry red wine (nothing too oaky)
175ml chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
Heat a splash of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan (I use one about 30cm across and 8cm deep). Add the sausages and fry over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides.
Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onion and celery have softened (there should be enough fat from the oil and sausages; if not, add a splash more olive oil).
Stir in the bay leaf, thyme and chilli, then add the beans. Pour in the wine and stock, and season well. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausages are cooked through, the sauce is reduced and thickened, and the beans are tinged with pink. Scatter with parsley and serve. This needs no accompaniment other than a green salad.
POTATO AND CABBAGE SOUP WITH CHORIZO
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This is a meal in a bowl. To be honest, it’s not going to win any beauty contests, but it’s deeply comforting on a grey day.
Serves 4 — generously
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 plump cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1kg floury potatoes (king edward, maris piper or kerr’s pink), peeled and finely sliced
1 bay leaf
A small bunch flat-leaf parsley (chop a couple of tablespoonfuls and keep it to scatter before serving)
Salt and pepper
1 litre water
1 litre chicken stock
200g chorizo — the thin version rather than the large, salami-style one — or Portuguese chouriço, sliced about ½cm thick
450g kale, savoy cabbage or cavolo nero, thick stalks removed, sliced as thinly as you can
Paprika (preferably smoked Spanish pimenton) to serve
Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large pan, add the onions and garlic and cook over a gentle heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and turning golden. Add the potatoes, stir through for about 1 minute, then add the bay leaf and the bunch of parsley, as well as a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Pour in the water and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are falling apart. Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and cook the chorizo slices for about 1 minute on each side. Drain on kitchen paper.
Fish the parsley and bay leaf out of the potato pot (it doesn’t matter if a little parsley gets left behind, but make sure you find the bay leaf). Remove from the heat, then grab a hand-held blender (or potato masher) and attack the soup until it becomes a smooth potato gloop. Return to the heat, stir in the sliced kale or cabbage and the chorizo, and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until the leaves are tender. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Decant into bowls, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley before serving. 1 This is a great combination. I first came across it a few years back in a book called The Good Cook, by Allegra McEvedy. She served it with a spicy tomato salsa. I think it’s fine just as it comes.
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SCRAMBLED EGGS
A scant 1 tbsp olive oil
A few slices of chorizo, say ½cm thick
Hot buttered toast — something rustic
While your scrambled eggs are cooking to creamy perfection (please don’t let them get dry and icky), heat the olive oil in a frying pan and, over a medium heat, fry the chorizo pieces for about 1 minute each side. Drain the pieces on kitchen paper, but leave the oil in the pan — the chorizo will have sweated out some of its paprika. Pile your scrambled eggs onto the toast, top with chorizo slices and drizzle over a little of the oil from the pan. Eat.