winter warmers #1

Last night Jim Hickey forecast a southerly making its way up the country.  It hit us mid-morning - rain, wind and general bleakness.  But, to be honest, it's all good - indoors, with the dog, holding a hot cup of coffee.  Sweet.  It did, however, meddle with my projected dinner plans.  Fresh snapper was going to be on the menu, accompanied by some roasties.  But when the sky turns leaden, and the temprature drops so as you're forced to add another layer (and KB to come home to hunt out a hat) nice light meals go off the menu.  Warm, hearty food becomes the order of the day.  So, fish tomorrow (the southerly is going to be overcome by a few more lovely sunny days), tonight - sausage casserole. 

Sausage casserole, it just doesn't sound very appetising.  I think it's the two words.  Sausage.  Casserole.  They sound sort of squelchy and gross.  But that's a misleader, 'cause as most of us already know, sausages are wonderful, and sausage casserole is in the top five for winter warmers (stay tuned for the rest, in no particular order).  You can use whatever's to hand in the pantry, and make it upon arriving home, or in the crock pot.  In my crock pot today I have thrown...

6 bacon sausages (from Hurley's Butchery in Patea, best butchery in NZ)

2 carrots, chopped up

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, whole

2 spring onions, chopped

1 tin chickpeas

1 tin pea & ham soup

2/3 cup water

cumin seeds, garam masala, black pepper

This is going to be served with the casserole's staple sidekick - mashed spuds (maybe mashed with some cream cheese, or sour cream...), and a couple of panfried zucchini (the last of the summer wine, so to speak).  If I hadn't had the tin of soup, I'd have used a tin of tomatoes, equally tasty.  Keep warm!