Meat mains
Sausage, borlotti and apple casserole with spring greens
This is a simple dish but very tasty to eat. It's the classic flavours of pork, apple and leek, with added greens simmered in chicken stock for a nourishing, healthy meal.
Cook's notes
Rolling up green leaves into a cigar shape speeds up the slicing preparation time no end. It's a handy trick for larger leaves, be it spring or summer greens, kale or cabbage. To wash silty greens e.g. leeks or spinach, swill them well in a bowl of cold water, leave for 2 minutes to let any grit sink to the bottom, then lift them out and give them a quick extra rinse if needed.
Ingredients
- 2 leeks
- oil for frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 4 pork and apple sausages
- 1 spring cabbage
- 1 tin borlotti beans
- 1 apple
- ½ tbsp wholewheat flour
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence
- 500ml chicken stock
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Trim the leeks and halve them lengthways. Finely shred them. Wash well to remove any grit. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, wide pan or deep frying pan. Add the sausages.
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Step 2
Fry them until browned on all sides. Transfer them to a plate. Add the leek to the same pan, with a splash more oil. Fry on a low heat, stirring now and then, for 8 minutes. Add a splash of water if it looks like catching at any point.
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Step 3
While the leek cooks, wash and thinly shred half the cabbage leaves, cutting out any tough central ribs. Drain and rinse the borlotti beans. Cut the apple into quarter's and cut out the core. Thinly slice the pieces, about 3-4 slices per quarter.
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Step 4
Once the leeks have cooked for 8 minutes, add the flour. Stir for 2 minutes. Add the sausages back to the pan. Add the herbes de Provence, borlotti beans, apple slices and chicken stock. Bring the pan to a low boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then.
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Step 5
Add the cabbage and cook for a further 4-5 minutes, until just wilted. Keep an eye on the liquid level and top up with a little water if the mixture gets too thick. Season to taste and divide between 2 serving bowls.