I went to order the Christmas Turkey at the butchers on Monday. The deal is we buy it and my in laws will cook it. Rumour has it my mother in law cooks the Turkey with belly pork on top, so I think we have the better end of the deal.
Ordering done, it felt wrong to leave the butchers empty handed and so I stocked up the excellent garlicky pork sausages.
Sausages and Beans is a classic but these delicious sausages deserve some proper home baked beans rather than the sweet mushiness of canned beans . I last made these in the heat of summer with BBQ Ribs and Coleslaw. and now I am ordering the Turkey this year if flashing by,
To make the home-baked beans I used dried haricots (soaked overnight). However this particular batch took forever to soften maybe I should ask for pressure cooker for Christmas to halve the cooking time for pulses and lentils.
These beans actually taste great the the day after cooking so it’s worth making extra , you can also spice them up with chilli or Worcestershire sauce. During my time living in Canada Maple baked beans were delicious just add a tbsp of Maple Syrup in with the tomatoes and a rasher of smoked bacon cut into 1.2cm pieces.
A little mashed potato or polenta to soak up and this is one of my favourite meals to eat from a bowl curled up on the sofa with the curtains drawn. No office party means no need to diet for that little black dress – Like I ever did !
Sausages and Haricot Baked Beans
6 pork sausages
200g of dried haricot beans
400g of tinned plum tomatoes
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
Mixed fresh herbs parsley thyme and sage
1 bay leaf
1/2 pint of stock
Salt and Pepper
- Soak the haricot beans overnight in water
- Fry the onions and garlic in oil to soften in a lidded saucepan
- Add the drained beans, tomatoes, stock a bay leaf and a pinch of salt.
- Cover and simmer until soft between 1-2hours
- Cut the sausages into 1inch peices and fry until golden brown
- Add the cooked sausages to the bean mix with the herbs
- Simmer for a further 25 minutes .
- Season with salt and pepper
Girl Interrupted Eating 
Ok, DEFINITELY, get a pressure cooker. You can cook harticots in just 4-5 minutes in it (if they’re pre-soaked) or skip the soaking altogether and cook them from dry for 30! Personally, I’m a soaker. Check out the cooking times for just about everything in the pressure cooker here:
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/p/cooking-times.html
When you get one, pop over for a visit if you need any advice or inspiration!
Almost forgot… I think I’m going to run out and get some sausages RIGHT NOW!!!! Well, as soon as the store opens. Your recipe looks delicious, thank you for sharing it!
Laura
Mmm, that looks lovely. I’ve been meaning to make my own baked beans for such a long time and seeing how easy it is, I can’t believe I’ve never got around to it. But with some good sausages, that looks just the thing for these dark winter nights.
Also, you MUST let us know how the turkey with belly pork works out. That sounds amazing!
Looks fantastic.