Saucy sausage casserole!

It wasn't quite fiery enough to be called "spicy" ... I could have called it "piquant", I suppose ... but I like alliteration (and the hint of naughtiness), so I plumped for "saucy"!  Whatever you call it, though, it was extremely tasty and satisfying.

I placed some good quality pork sausages in a stainless steel tin and baked them in the oven (this is my preferred method of cooking sausages - they don't split like they do when grilled, but they still give off a lot of their fat while keeping a good flavour).  While they were cooking, I put a little oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole and began cooking the vegetables in the following order: sliced leek, courgettes, red pepper, mushrooms (sprinkled with plenty of black pepper).  Each time, I stirred the veg to coat it with the oil, then placed the lid on the pot and let it partially steam.

When the veg was just cooked (worked out about the same time as the sausages - about 20-30 minutes after I put them in the oven) I added a tin of chopped tomatoes, a "jellified" beef stock "cube", some Herbes du Provence (mixed herbs would do), a generous shake of paprika, a good slug of Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce ... and a squeeze of HP brown sauce (reduced salt and sugar variety).  This was all allowed to heat up and blend together, then I transferred the cooked sausages and let the whole thing simmer for a few minutes while I steamed some curly kale.  Oh ... I almost forgot, I also roasted a couple of parsnips, which was a lovely accompaniment to the dish.

V  Simply replace the sausages with your own favourite meat-free ones, or get your protein from throwing in a tin or two of delicious beans.