Suddenly it hit me; as I sat in the garden, drinking
elderflower cordial, nearly falling off my chair as I attempted to evade a wasp
and still wearing sunglasses as I ate my dinner- This has been a pretty bloody
good summer. Like, seriously, I have tan-lines kind of good...
Yup, as I fanned my bronzed (and now slightly peeling)
shoulders with the latest, tropical fruit adorned copy of Jamie magazine (suitably
sunny as well as being my absolute favourite) it dawned on me like a slap in
the face with the tennis ball my sister was throwing around the garden (or
maybe that actually was the ball...) that I have spent more days in shorts this
year than I can remember in a long, long time. And I am talking of short-wearing
in England; the land of endlessly waiting for the Indian Summer that never
appears, where grey August afternoons are the norm and summer wardrobes seem to
spend much of their lives getting dusty under the bed...
Now, even after that slight moan, I can’t grumble about
previous dodgy summers too much. It would be hypocritical for me to whinge
about the rain ruining the Queen’s Jubilee last year, or the lack of Rosé that
was consumed on the patio during, what I am assured was, the rainy summer of 2012.
Yeah, I can’t really complain can I- For me, last year was more mountain biking
in Bolivia and sipping Mojitos on Miami Beach than digging out my anorak and
debating the socks with sandals look after getting caught in a surprise shower.
But I am still absolutely loving it- Eating strawberries like
a possessed five year old hidden in the bushes on the Pick your Own field
(juice smeared, stupidly sticky face to match, of course), discovering a very
hidden enthusiasm for Frisbee (and, unfortunately, a little bit of an ugly
competitive streak...) spending more time in tents than I ever dared to
imagine; this summer has indeed been downright delicious.
But, most of all, and speaking of delicious; I absolutely adore
the way that the warmth brings out the pop-art colours in the fruit and
vegetable aisles, how the sun-drenched garden encourages heady herb fragrances
and fresh tomatoes in every meal. Basically, I just can’t get enough of the
al-fresco magic that seems to make every single thing created in the kitchen
shine as brightly as the swimming-pool blue sky.
It is at this time of year that makes me want to raid the
vegetable box, grabbing colours like a crazed circus costume designer, throwing
all that goodness in a dish, giving it a shake, bunging it in the oven and just
letting all those fresh, amazing flavours do their thing. For me, that is all
there is to it when the sun is shining; leaving more time for eating ice cream
and getting hit in the face with tennis balls...
And this neon-bright, ridiculously tasty sausage, cannellini
bean and butternut traybake is hard to beat. Nestled between the sunny slices
of squash, ruby-red cherry tomatoes, slices of red onion and creamy beans; the
sausages add just enough richness and spice (and an added bit of summer
naughtiness) to this fresh, amazingly tasty dinnertime delight. Speckled with a
bounty of fresh herbs from the garden (I grabbed everything in sight, only just
managing to leave the grass intact if I’m honest...) doused in olive oil and a
splash of red wine vinegar to add just the right amount of bite; all that needs
to be done is throw it in the oven and bake until the sausages are browned and
sticky and their bean and butternut bed has reduced to a chunky sauce.
This is sausage and beans with fancy bells on. Simply serve
with crushed new potatoes spiked with a squeeze of lemon and hey presto; now
get out in that sunshine and work on your vitamin D intake- You know you want
to...
Sausage, Butternut and Canellini Bean Bake, Serves 4
I red onion, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, skins on and slightly squashed
1 red chilli, sliced
½ Butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tin cannellini beans, drained
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Fresh herbs (Any you fancy- Think Bay leaves, rosemary,
oregano, basil, thyme...)
12 good-quality sausages
-
Preheat the oven to 190oc
In a large baking dish, combine the beans, squash, onion,
garlic, chilli and herbs. Add a large glug of olive oil, a good splash of
vinegar and season well
Prick the sausages and place on top of the bean mixture. Give
all of those lovely flavours one last shake up (get your hands in there!) and
bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until the sausages are browned and
the squash cooked
Serve with crushed new potatoes and some sautéed spinach,
YUM
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