Sausage And Kidney Bean Casserole

I'm not a big fan of washing up so any dish that only requires one pot is a big plus for me. This is a simple but hearty sausage and bean casserole that'll satisfy the most manly of appetites.

You will need:
1tbsp Vegetable oil
1 Onion
2 Sticks celery
1 Yellow pepper
1 Red pepper
3 Cloves garlic
1/2tbsp Tomato paste
6 Butchers sausages
1tsp Smoked paprika
1tsp Paprika
1tsp Ground cumin
1tbsp Dried thyme
1 Tin chopped tomatoes
1 Tin red kidney beans
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan.
2. Finely chop the onions, add to the pan and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the sausages to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Chop the celery and peppers, add to the pan and continue cooking for 2 - 3 minutes.
5. Crush the garlic into the pan, stir in the tomato paste, spices and dried thyme then cook for a further 1 - 2 minutes.
6. Add the tinned tomatoes and the brine from the beans, holding back the beans for now, and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat and gently simmer for 40 minutes.
7.Add in the beans and allow them to warm through, check the seasoning and add a pinch of salt and a black pepper if required.

Notes:
This is so good it can be served with just a small loaf of warm crusty bread and butter. Alternatively serve alongside mashed potatoes or even suet dumplings. Add a good slug of Worcestershire sauce, when checking the seasoning, for a little extra flavour. Adding some chopped coriander to garnish will add extra depth to the dish. This recipe can be modified to be a fairly easy camping or store cupboard recipe by swapping out the butchers sausage for a tin or jar of your favourite hotdogs. Swapping the sausages out for hotdogs will dramatically reduce the cooking time.

Homemade Chicken Doner Style Kebab

So I’ve been playing around with homemade doner style kebabs recently, this is my take on the chicken doner.

You will need:
5 skinned and boned chicken thighs
1 large onion
1 large red pepper

For the marinade:
2tbsp natural yoghurt
1tbsp tomato puree
1tsp oregano
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder
1tsp smoked paprika
1tsp cumin
1tsp cayenne pepper
1/2tsp ground black pepper
1/2tsp salt
The juice of half a lemon

To serve:
Pita bread/flat bread/tortilla wraps
Mint yoghurt sauce
Salad

Method:
1. Put the chicken thighs in a bowl, add in all the marinade ingredients and give it a good mix with your hands, massaging it into the meat. Allow the meat to marinate for a couple of hours minimum, ideally over night.
2. Fold the thighs over and feed them onto 2 skewers, using 2 will make the kebab easier to turn and handle later on.
3. Place on a raised grill rack over a fairly deep baking tray and put into a 225 degree (Celsius) preheated oven for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes take it out of the oven and turn the kebab over using the skewers, baste with the juices in the bottom of the baking tray before adding the roughly sliced onion and pepper to they tray.
5. Put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes until the meat, onions and peppers have started to caramelise around the edges.
6. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes or so before carving, as seen in your local kebab shop.

Notes:
Serve on a tray with the pita bread/flat breads, mint yoghurt sauce and salad.