This time I made a tomato based veggie sausage, mushrooms and chickpea stew. A wonderfully comforting dish that was easy to throw together.
I don't know what happened, it must have been the sunshine streaming in that made me feel full of energy and ready to think about making dinner first thing in the morning. I don't usually have a thought about it until much later in the day.
In fact Graham and I have a little dance each night. After work the first thing he asks me, either as he arrives home (on my day off) or on the way home in the car (if I've been at work) is "What's for dinner?". It drives me nuts. Often because I've already discussed it with him and he hasn't been paying attention or just because I haven't decided yet. Recently I've taken to saying "I'm not telling you!". I know it's childish, but I just can't resist and it's so funny as it makes him even more desperate to know.
Graham arrived home after lunch on Saturday and I probably still refused to tell him what dinner was, even though it was bubbling away in plain sight through the clear lid of the slow cooker. It's definitely a bit of a game now.
I know that usually you just pile all the ingredients into a slow cooker with little preparation, but I decided to pre-cook the sausages and mushrooms. I fried the sausages and mushrooms in a little oil until the sausages were brown and crisp and the mushrooms were soft. Only then did I add them and the other ingredients to the slow cooker. I may not have needed this step, but it seemed the right way to go.
The stew was rich with a tomato flavour and lots of texture from the sausages, mushrooms and chickpeas. I served it with mashed potatoes and peas, but I also had a piece of bread to mop up the tasty sauce left on my plate. It had to be done!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 250g mushrooms, peeled and quartered
- 8 veggie sausages
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 250g/1 cup vegetable stock (1 cube)
- a splosh of red wine
- a good grinding of salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Fry the mushrooms and sausages in a little oil until the sausages are brown and crisp and the mushrooms are soft.
2. Chop the sausages and add them and the other ingredients to the slow cooker.
3. Set the slow cooker to low (75-80 degrees for 5 hours) or cook in a casserole on the hob for 45 minutes - 1 hour. If you are cooking on the hob, saute the onion and garlic until soft before adding the other ingredients and add more stock.
4. Check the casserole near the end of cooking to see if it needs longer.
5. Serve with mashed potatoes and peas or just some crusty bread.
6. Enjoy!
2. Chop the sausages and add them and the other ingredients to the slow cooker.
3. Set the slow cooker to low (75-80 degrees for 5 hours) or cook in a casserole on the hob for 45 minutes - 1 hour. If you are cooking on the hob, saute the onion and garlic until soft before adding the other ingredients and add more stock.
4. Check the casserole near the end of cooking to see if it needs longer.
5. Serve with mashed potatoes and peas or just some crusty bread.
6. Enjoy!
Details
Total cooking time: 5 hours
Yield: serves 4-5
If you like this recipe, why not try my Slow Cooker Potato and Haricot Bean Casserole.
