Sausage, bean & fennel casserole

If you can find proper meaty Italian fennel sausages for this, it will be well worth the hunt for that hit of aniseedy flavour. Try an Italian deli for these, if you can stretch to it. If not, it’s a pretty tasty stew regardless.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. The night before you want to make the casserole, pop the dried beans in a bowl and cover well with water. Leave to soak overnight.
2. The next day, preheat the slow cooker.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a frying pan set over a high heat and brown the sausages all over. Using tongs, transfer them to the slow cooker, leaving the oil in the pan.
4. Reduce the heat to medium, add the fennel seeds and onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes until they are picking up some colour and the onion is softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, then tip into the slow cooker.
5. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the fennel wedges for a few minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned. Tip them into the slow cooker and add the beans, carrots, celery, white wine, rosemary and chicken stock pot. Add the passata, then fill the bottle one-third full with water, swill it around to pick up all the remaining tomato juice, and add that too. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
6. Cook the casserole on LOW for
   6-7 hours or HIGH for
   3-4 hours, or until the beans are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve, sprinkled with parsley, if you like.

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