Southern Style Sausage Stew Food

SOUTHERN SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• In the UK we love our bangers and mash, don't we, and you'll find that this dish is fairly similar but with rice and Louisiana gravy. It pushes similar buttons, and it has the added advantage of extra spices, and it also reminds me of a kinda Italian peperonata. But, let's be honest, beautiful sausages in a lovely stew are a winning combo in any country.
• In the spirit of Cajun cooking, this is a simple one-pan dish, perfect whether you're at home or cooking outdoors. Give this a try and you'll love it.
• Put a splash of olive oil in a pan and let it get hot. Add your sausages and let them cook away so they brown nicely on all sides. Once golden and crisp, take them out of the pan and put them on a plate to rest. Depending on your sausages, there may be a lot of fat left behind in the pan. You only want to keep about 4 tablespoons of it in the pan, so carefully pour any extra away. If you don't have enough, just add a splash more olive oil.
• Add your onion, peppers and celery to the fat and fry on a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in your garlic, chilli, thyme and spices and fry for another minute or two. Stir in your flour and vinegar, and after a couple of minutes add your browned sausages, chicken stock and tinned tomatoes, using a wooden spoon to break them up a little. Season with a nice big pinch of sea salt and black pepper, stir, then bring to the boil and let it tick away for 15 minutes or so until you have a thick and delicious gravy.
• Serve with a hearty spoonful of rice on the side and sprinkle over some sliced spring onion, chopped parsley and any reserved celery leaves. Really tasty stuff!
• PS: I've also stirred chopped up pieces of cooked chicken, quail and smoky bacon through this with great results!

SOUTHERN-STYLE SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• Fill a medium pan with salted water, place on a high heat and bring to the boil.
• Heat a splash of oil in a medium deep sided pan on a medium heat. Prick the sausages with a fork and and cook for 10 minutes, or until browned on all sides, turning regularly.
• Meanwhile, peel and trim the onion and celery. Halve and deseed the pepper, removing the core and stalk, then chop everything into 1cm chunks. Peel, crush and roughly chop the garlic.
• Add the rice to the boiling water and cook for 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a sieve, then tip back into the warm pan. Cover with a lid and set aside off the heat.
• When the sausages are nicely browned, remove from the pan. There should be a little fat left at the bottom of the pan. Add enough oil to make this up to 1 tablespoon, then add the vegetables, garlic and paprika.
• Halve, deseed and finely chop the chilli, then add to the pan. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft.
• Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Dissolve the stock cube in a jug with 350ml of boiling water. Roughly chop the tomatoes and put to one side.
• Sprinkle the flour over the veg, then stir before adding the tomatoes, vinegar, sausages and stock, then bring to the boil.
• Squash the tomatoes into the sauce with a wooden spoon, then simmer for 10 minutes, or until you have a nice thick sauce around the sausages.
• Meanwhile, trim and finely slice the spring onions. When the stew is ready, taste and season with sea salt and black pepper. Divide the stew and rice between plates, scatter with spring onions, then serve.

ONE-POT SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and sear on all sides until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.
• Add the rest of the olive oil to the pot, turn the heat down to medium and add in the onions, carrots and celery. Add a pinch of salt, which will help draw some moisture out of the vegetables and keep them from browning too much. Cook gently, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes, being sure to scrape up all the caramelized sausage bits on the bottom of the pot.
• Add the garlic and rosemary and continue to sweat until the garlic is fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes more. If the vegetables begin to brown, turn down the heat.
• Add in the sausages, potatoes and plum tomatoes, breaking apart the tomatoes with a wooden spoon or your hands as they go into the pot. Fill the empty tomato can halfway with water, then add this water to the pot. Stir well and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through, adding a few tablespoons of water if the sauce begins to look dry. Add in the butter beans and stir gently so as not to break up the beans. Taste the casserole and add salt, pepper, sugar and red pepper flakes to taste.
• Just before serving, add in the spinach and stir until just wilted. Plate into individual bowls and garnish with basil and lemon zest. Serve with the Rosemary and Cheddar Soda Breads.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
• Sift the flours, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the Cheddar and chopped rosemary. Make a well in the middle. Add the buttermilk and, using a fork, mix until just combined. This will give you a soft, sticky dough, which makes a nice moist loaf. With floured hands, divide the dough into 4, scrape each one onto the prepared baking sheet and pat into a light round. Using a chef's knife, deeply score each soda bread with a cross on top (this will allow the heat to penetrate the center of the dough).
• Bake until the breads are dark golden all over and sound hollow when you tap the bottoms, about 30 minutes.

CHICKEN, SHRIMP, AND SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, saute sausage for about 4 minutes or until browned.
• Transfer sausage to a large bowl.
• Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
• Add chicken to Dutch oven and saute until browned on each side.
• Transfer chicken to the bowl with the sausage.
• Discard all but 1 tablespoon of drippings.
• Add onions and peppers to Dutch oven; saute for 15 minutes or until soft and golden brown.
• Add garlic, oregano, thyme and paprika; saute for 2 minutes.
• Return sausage and chicken to Dutch oven.
• Add tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, and wine.
• Bring mixture to a boil.
• Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
• Uncover pot and simmer for 40 minutes or until chicken is very tender and liquid is reduced to desired consistency.
• Add shrimp and simmer about 5 minutes or until no longer pink.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• Heat heavy 4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add sausages and cook until brown, turning occasionally.
• Transfer sausages to plate and cool slightly. Cut into 1" pieces.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from saucepan.
• Add onions to saucepan and saute over medium heat until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add bell peppers and garlic and continue cooking until bell peppers soften, about 5 minutes.
• Pour in wine and boil 1 minute.
• Add potatoes, tomatoes, broth, and tomato paste.
• Simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in green beans, sausages, and herbs.
• Cover and cook 15 minutes.
• Add all cheeses and stir.

SAUSAGE AND RED BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Cut sausages into 1-inch slices and place in a 6-quart stockpot. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes, or until brown. Season with cayenne pepper to taste.
• Reduce heat to low, add onions and saute' 5 more minutes or until sausage is cooked through.
• Drain well, add remaining ingredients and stir.
• Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

QUICK SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the sausages for 4-5 mins until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
• Cook the onion in the same pan for 5-6 mins until softened, adding a splash of water if it starts to catch. Add the chickpeas, tomato sauce and stock and bring to the boil. Return the sausages to the pan, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5-6 mins until the sausages are cooked through. Scatter the garlic, orange zest and parsley over the stew, then serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread on the side.