The days are growing increasingly chilly and as a result I am finding myself in need of some seriously comforting autumnal suppers. The following recipe is the culinary equivalent of a warm, toasty wool blanket and is a great dish for all the family to enjoy. It's particularly good with a chunk of good crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Recipe:
Serves: 4/ Prep: 10 minutes/ Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pack of good quality vegetarian sausages ( I like to use Cauldron)
4 carrots, chopped into wedges
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
Handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
200g pearl barley
1 jar of sun dried tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 vegetable stock cube
Method
1. Heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a heatproof medium casserole dish and add 1 onion and 1 clove of garlic, both peeled and chopped. Fry for 2 minutes until softened, then add 200g pearl barley. Make up 1.2 litres of hot vegetable stock using 1 stock cube and add 800ml to the pan. Reduce to a low heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the sausages for 12-15 minutes until brown and cooked through.
3. Trim the carrots, scrub clean and chop each one into 3 segments. Add to the pearl barley along with chopped tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and the remaining 400ml of stock. Cook for 20 minutes or until the carrots and pearl barley are tender.
4. Cut the sausages in half and add to the pot with two tablespoons of finely chopped flat leaf parsley. Stir to combine, garnish with a little extra parsley, then serve.
Luke's Verdict: Can I have some more pearly bits?
