Recipe for Mediterranean sausage, fennel, canellini bean and tomato gratin
If you have one, use a casserole that can go straight from hob to oven.
Serves two very hungry people, or four as a light lunch
4 herby, veggie sausages, thickly sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
400g can canellini beans, drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and pepper
For the breadcrumb topping
1 slice bread, crumbed (I use wholegrain granary)
1 tbsp olive oil
Zest of one lemon
Preheat the oven to 180 C, 350 F.
Saute the sausages in a tablespoon of olive oil until lightly browned. Lift the sausage slices from the pan and put to one side. Add the fennel, onion and garlic to the pan and cook on a medium heat for another five minutes.
Add the sausages back into the pan with the fennel, onion and garlic. Next add the canellini beans, tomatoes and oregano and stir. Season with plenty of pepper and a little salt.
Lightly flatten the contents of the pan with the back of a spatula.
In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the lemon zest, olive oil and some more black pepper.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the sausage/bean mixture and bake for 30 minutes.