Toulouse sausages

Mm, Toulouse sausages. They're garlicky porky wine-y goodness all wrapped up in...well, I guess technically animal guts, but let's not be picky. So, the Toulouse sausage. It is of course good by itself shovelled into your mouf from the pan but you know...it's even better with a load of other lovely ingredients shovelled into your mouf.

1 pack of Toulouse sausages (usually 6)
1 small pack of cubetti di pancetta
2 red onions, sliced finely
2 courgettes
1 green pepper
head of celery, leaves and all
garlic - as much as you like
slosh of balsamic vinegar
pitted dried black olives, chopped
small carton of passata
tomato puree
dried marjoram and parsley (a pinch of both)

Down to business.

First things first cook the sausages very gently in a pan, turning regularly so they're golden and cooked through but not burned. While that's happening you can chop your vegetables ready.

When the sausages are done, take them out and set them aside. Put in the pancetta and allow it to render a little bit, and then add the onions to soften, with a little slosh of balsamic vinegar, then the celery, followed by the garlic, followed by all the other ingredients except the passata. Let everything cook together gently for about ten minutes with the lid on. While that's cooking, cut up the cooked sausages into rounds to be added back to the pan with the passata.

When the vegetables and pancetta are looking soft and smelling good, add the tomatoes and sausages to the pan, stir and cover. Lovely.

Now you have the frankly torturous decision of how you're going to eat all this. Options:

Add stock and rice, or stock and lentils. Not risotto rice - basmati or long grain.
Add some butter beans, thicken the sauce a little if it needs it and eat over baked potatoes
Have it as is with some bread
Thicken it like a sausage stew and serve with some wintry veg - roast parsnips, cabbage, the dreaded sprouts, whatever you like

If it's all too much...freeze it and come back to it when you're in need of something to really kick your arse after a hard day. It freezes really, REALLY well.