Posh Pork and Beans

Baked beans with sausages from a tin are a guilty pleasure, tasting best cooked over a campfire in their original receptacle. Until a few years ago i took little or no interest in pulses, dried or otherwise, but they are such a versatile and palatable source of protein and roughage for little ones. As a lover of Cassoulet, brought steaming from the oven in a sturdy pot, it was easy to translate into a simpler version for younger palates.

posh pork and beans
6 - 8 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
125g pork loin (diced)
2 small pork sausages (1cm slices)
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tin of flageolet or haricot beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 tspn soy sauce (optional)
150ml chicken stock
1 tbsp chopped thyme and rosemary
2 tbsp toasted breadcrumbs

• heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and lightly fry the onion and garlic.
  
• add the chopped pork loin and sliced sausage and allow to colour gently
• stir in the tomato puree, flageolet beans, soy, chicken stock and herbs.
• place a lid on the pan and cook gently for 20 minutes until the sauce resembles a thick gravy.
  
• serve sprinkled with the breadcrumbs on top to give a crunch.