A simple midweek kind of meal that’s also good to feed a crowd.

This recipe is more of a template than a rigid list that must be followed. Use all chicken thighs or all sausages if you’re of a mind to, or use chicken breasts or turkey meatballs for less fat. It’d be good with rabbit or pheasant, or even without meat – just add extra beans.

Ingredients

8 Sausages
4 Chicken thighs
2 Tbsp Olive oil; you may need more
1 Onion, peeled and chopped
2 Garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 Celery stick, sliced
2 Red peppers, deseeded and sliced
1 Yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
2 Courgettes, cut into 6mm (¼ inch) rings
150 g Closed-cup mushrooms, whole if small, otherwise halved
3 Tomatoes, quartered (about 150 – 200 g)
500 g Tomato passata
125 g Red wine – it’s also nice with white wine instead.
½ tsp Dried oregano
2 Sprigs thyme
1 Sprig rosemary
1 tsp Salt
¼ tsp Black pepper

Optional
2 tins of butter beans (about 500 g drained weight)
16 pitted olives, halved

Method

I’ve shown this being made in a large frying pan and in a smaller quantity, purely for ease of photography. I would usually use a large saucepan.

Brown the sausage in the oil, and when browned, add the chicken.

When the chicken is browned, add the onion and celery, fry them for a couple of minutes and then add all the other vegetables except the tomatoes. Cook them for a few minutes to soften slightly and add the wine.

Boil the wine until the steam coming out no longer smells acrid.

Add the tomato passata and chopped tomatoes along with the seasonings, put a lid on and cook it until the vegetables are tender, the meat is cooked, and the sauce is reduced slightly.

Add the butterbeans and olives, if using and serve…

…or serve it with mashed potato instead of beans.

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