(Un)Healthy stuff

The writing is on the wall, I am a time bomb – according to the doctor at the lipid clinic.  Well I didn’t have a heart attack yesterday so perhaps I won’t tomorrow either ^~^ .  Also, although part of the problem is my  (rich, creamy, fatty, meaty) diet, it’s probably mostly hereditary so cutting out smoking and taking up drugs seems to be the way I have to go.  However, this doesn’t mean I may eat what I like.  I must seriously consider not eating most of what I like most of the time.

So

Beans and tomato sauce with mushrooms and optional sausage.

Sausages (optional) as many as you’d like, the nicest you are prepared to buy.

2 tins of cooked beans or chickpeas.  (2 different varieties will make it more interesting)

A huge heap of leftover tomato salad made by your youngest daughter for the family party (see below*)

2 or 3 big spoonfuls of  olives, if in brine, rinsed and drained.

Chestnut mushrooms – these are a substitute for the sausage so just have as many as you’d like.

Olive oil

Splash of white wine

Seasoning

A small bunch of fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped

A big handful of fresh parsley leaves finely chopped at the last minute

~

Cook the sausages in a medium oven in a small roasting tin (over a rack for extra healthiness or in the tin with a little oil for extra juicy fattiness).

Rub a little olive oil over the mushrooms and into the centres, drizzle some more oil plus the wine and a bit of seasoning. Put them in the oven in a small roasting tin and cook till tender and juicy.

Drain and rinse the beans.

Heat the leftover tomato salad in a saucepan and then puree and strain out the skin and pips.

Return the tomato mixture to the saucepan and add the olives, oregano and beans.  Simmer gently till it’s all hot and the beans are cooked as you like them (I like them quite crunchy but I expect it would be ok if they were almost like baked beans!)

Stir in the chopped parsley and serve with the sausages and mushrooms on top.

 

I have to say, this was quite delicious and would have been pretty good even without the single, healthily cooked sausage.  However, I’m willing to bet the the gorgeous tomato sauce came with a good dose of salt and oil.

*In the past, she has made this and it’s been very popular and we’ve had to make more.  This time, I asked her to make it at home before she came and bearing in mind its popularity, she made a huge bowl of it.   It’s a Jamie Oliver recipe, very slightly adapted.

Very thinly sliced tomatoes, salt, pepper, very finely chopped garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.  (Optional sprinkling of dried oregano or basil.  Or fresh finely chopped parsley or fresh torn up Basil.)

Spread out the tomatoes in a flat dish and sprinkle the other ingredients over them.  Leave for a while in a cool place.