Spicy sausage stew and dumplings

~ Sophie

A dish as happy outdoors as indoors, cook it over a campfire or on the stove. Either way, people will be happy to dig their spoons into this russet red bowl of warm loveliness. Feeds 4

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 pork sausages
  • 1 piece of chorizo about sausage-sized, cut into pieces
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 red pepper, cut into 2cm pieces
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ½ pint veg stock
  • Pinch of chilli flakes
  • 1 heaped tbsp paprika
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole or saucepan over a medium heat
  2. Briefly cook the chorizo until some of the oil starts to come out, then remove from the pan
  3. Pop the sausages in and brown them, then remove (they don’t have to be cooked through)
  4. Tip in all the veg
  5. Cook over a medium heat until the onions are softened
  6. Sprinkle over the flour, stir in and cook for a minute
  7. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, stock, herbs and sugar, season and stir everything together
  8. Cut the sausages into pieces. Weirdly this is easier with kitchen scissors than a knife
  9. Add the sausages pieces and chorizo
  10. Cook over a low heat with the lid on (or in the oven at 140C fan) for 45 mins, stirring occasionally. Add more water if it thickens too much.
  11. Check the seasoning, maybe add a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of chopped parsley, maybe a dollop of plain yogurt on top, and serve.

I love this stew with dumplings, cooked in the stew. There’s a couple of types you could do. One is a flour dumpling, the other made with bread. I don’t know which I like best. Both result in dumplings that are light, tender and deeply satisfying. Pop them into this stew, add them to soup, casserole, stew. Lucky for you, both recipes are below. I love this combination of textures and tastes (especially with this stew), but feel free to vary the flavourings.

REGULAR DUMPLINGS

  • 100g flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 50g shredded vegetable suet (like Atora)
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 4 tbsp finely grated parmesan
  • 4 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  • 4-5 tbsp cold water
  1. Mix dry ingredients (that’s everything except the water)
  2. Add the water gradually as you mix
  3. Knead dough briefly to bring it together
  4. Form into small dumplings about 1 inch diameter
  5. Drop into the stew and gently press beneath the surface
  6. Cook (without stirring or poking) for 30 mins. Test and then give them longer if needed

BREAD DUMPLINGS

  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 70g plain yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 40g butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 4 tbsp finely grated parmesan
  • 4 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  • 150g fresh white breadcrumbs
  1. Whisk together all the ingredients except the breadcrumbs
  2. Add the breadcrumbs and mix gently until just combined
  3. Shape the mixture into 12 dumplings
  4. Drop into the stew and gently press beneath the surface
  5. Cook (without stirring or poking) for 15-20 mins

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