Quick-Time Sausage Cassoulet

• 2 handfuls of dried porcini mushrooms, broken up
• 8 thick slices of dry-cured streaky bacon
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large bunch of mixed fresh rosemary, thyme and sage
• 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/2 celery heart, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 bottle of red wine
• 3 x 400g/14oz tins of plum tomatoes
• 2 x 400g/14oz tins of borlotti or cannellini beans, or use a mixture
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 24 chipolata sausages or 8 larger sausages
• 1 large, stale loaf, crusts removed
• 1 small handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked

1. Preheat your oven to 220C/425F/gas Put your porcini mushrooms into a dish, cover with 565ml/1 pint of boiling water and allow to soak until soft.
2. Heat a large casserole-type pan or roasting tray on the hob.
3. Slice the bacon across into strips called lardons.
4. Fry in 4 tablespoons of olive oil until crisp and golden.
5. Tie your herbs together with some string and add to the bacon in the pan with your onions, garlic, carrot, celery and bay leaves.
6. Drain the porcini, reserving the soaking liquid, add them to the pan and fry nice and slowly for about 5 minutes.
7. Add the red wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
8. Add the tomatoes to the pan, breaking them up with a spoon, then add your strained porcini soaking liquor and the beans.
9. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Lightly season before laying your sausages on top all higgledy piggledy.
11. Break up your bread into coarse, chunky breadcrumbs, toss with the thyme, a little salt and olive oil and sprinkle on top of the sausages.
12. Place in the oven for around 1 hour until the sausages and breadcrumbs are golden and crisp.
13. Remove the bunch of herbs and serve with something like mashed potato or polenta.

porcini mushrooms, bacon, extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, red onions, garlic, carrot, celery, bay leaves, red wine, tomatoes, borlotti, salt, sausages, handful of fresh thyme

Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/quick-time-sausage-cassoulet (may not work)