Spanish Sausage Casserole

Apologies for lack of recent posting, either I have forgotten to take pictures of whats been cooking or I have not written down any quantities! This recipe falls into the latter but I have a rough idea of what went in! I am off on my summer holidays soon too but hope to get back in the swing of things when I return!

Also, this dish isn't really authentically Spanish, and loosely fits into the casserole heading, however its a very tasty, filling dish and also very purse friendly! Pearl barley is one of my favourite grains, and also very cheap at around 40p for 500g, which makes a lot of barley when cooked! This dish is ideal for students as relies on cupboard items.

Serves 4

150g pearl barley, soaked in water and rinsed
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 tsp smoked paprika
6 sausages (mine were frozen pork)
1 small red pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2 inch piece of chorizo sausage, diced
400g tin good quality chopped tomatoes
1-2 tsp dried mixed herbs
pork or chicken stock, as needed - allow for 1 litre
s&p to taste

Firstly, cook the sausages in a large frying or saucepan until nearly cooked through and browned. Drain on kitchen paper. Dice them into 4-5 slices.

In the same pan, fry the onion, chorizo, garlic and red pepper for 5 minutes or until the onion is golden brown, add the pearl barley and some stock to loosen, add the tomatoes 1 tsp of the paprika and herbs, chopped sausages, mix well and add your stock to be about 2 cm above the barley, cover with a lid and reduce to lowest heat setting. Leave to simmer away gently for about an hour, topping up with stock as needed and giving an odd stir here and there.

When the barley is nearly cooked through and becoming soft to bite, check the seasoning. You may need more herbs or smoked paprika depending on the strength of yours, carry on gently simmering until the barley is soft and cooked through. Serve immediately.

I've made a similar dish very succesfully in the slow cooker before, start in a frying pan as above but when the first seasoning is added, transfer to the slow cooker and simmer on low for 8-10 hours.