September’s here, which means two things: little ones are back at school, and the bigger “kids” are flying the nest for university.
So, with a nudge from Richard H. Turner’s Hog, we’ve taken a classic and given it a proper homely spin—beans and sausages on toast. It’s the sort of dish that’ll make even the most carefree fresher go misty-eyed with memories of home.
Now, yes, the tinned version is quicker (and we’ve all lived on it at some point), but today’s students are handier in the kitchen than we ever were. More adventurous, too. This recipe leans once again on the old-school magic of a pig’s trotter for extra depth and richness, proving that a humble pot of beans can be a thing of beauty.
And here’s the bonus: cook up a batch in a shared dorm kitchen and you’ve got yourself an instant icebreaker. Nothing bonds a group faster than the smell of beans and sausages bubbling away—well, until the vegans open the fridge and spot the trotter.
Then they’ll all have something to talk about!
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
500g white beans, soaked in water overnight
3 whole onions
6 garlic cloves
1 pig’s trotter
100g salt pork or bacon belly, cut into 2cm chunks
250ml tomato passata or chopped canned tomatoes
100ml tomato ketchup or barbecue sauce
6 Turner & George Supper Pigs (about 60g each)
A splash of Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
1 loaf of good-quality bread (sourdough or bloomer works well)
Butter
A chunk of mature cheddar or similar hard cheese, for grating on top
Method
Drain the beans, discarding the soaking liquid, then place them in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and skim, then simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the beans are tender but not bursting. Drain, reserving 500ml of the cooking liquid.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3. Place the onions, garlic and pig’s trotter in a layer at the bottom of a casserole and cover with the drained beans. Add the reserved cooking liquid, the salt pork or bacon, passata, ketchup or barbecue sauce, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours, or until everything is tender. For the last 30 minutes, remove the lid to allow the sauce to thicken.
While the beans are cooking, grill or pan-fry the sausages until browned and cooked through. Slice them into chunks or leave them whole, then stir them into the beans just before serving. At this stage, you can either discard the trotter or pick it clean of skin and flesh and stir the meat back into the beans for extra richness. Taste and add a little more Worcestershire sauce if you fancy extra depth.
When you’re ready to serve, slice the bread thickly and toast it under the grill or in a pan with olive oil or butter until golden and crisp on the outside but soft inside. Spoon the beans and sausages generously over the hot toast and finish with a good grating of cheese, letting it melt into the beans before diving in.
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