• [Main Dishes]

Spicy Sausage, cider & pearl barley casserole

• Source Dan Pearson

• 8 spicy pork sausage
• olive oil  (for frying)
• 2 onions  (large, peeled and diced)
• 1 garlic bulb  (peeled and crushed)
• 1 celery stick  (washed and diced)
• 2 carrot  (medium sized, peeled and diced)
• 2 kumara  (peeled and diced)
• 3 Tablespoon maple syrup
• cumin seed
• fennel seed
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 Litre apple cider
• 300 Gram pearl barley  (washed under cold water til runs clear)
• 1 Handful fresh herb  (eg thyme, oregano, tarragon, parsley - chopped)
• 300 Gram cherry tomatoe
• 1 bunch spring onion  (sliced)

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Pierce sausages all over with a fork and sear in a hot fry pan with a good amount of oil. Once seared all over, place them in an oven proof casserole dish.
2. Add onions, garlic, celery, and carrot to the fry pan that you've just used and caramelise all over. Season with a sprinkle of salt.
3. Once caramelised, add maple syrup, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and bay leaves. Cook for further 2 minutes stirring to prevent sticking and burning. Add everything to casserole dish.
4. Deglaze the pan with 500ml of cider and pour this over the vegetables and sausages in your casserole dish.
5. Add the washed pearl barley and top up with boiling water from the kettle to cover. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
6. Take the casserole out of the oven. Stir in the chopped herbs, cherry tomatoes and spring onions leaving to infuse for a few minutes.
7. Serve with good crusty sourdough and salted butter.