Moroccan sausage stew

Moroccan sausage stew -

Ras el hanout is a fragrant North African spice. It works perfectly with pork sausages in a tomato casserole sauce with dates and onions.

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil
8 good-quality pork sausages
2 red onions, cut into wedges
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp Moroccan spice mix or ras el hanout
100 gm soft pitted dates, roughly chopped
400 gm can chopped tomatoes
175 ml hot beef stock
1 tbsp cornflour
mashed potato, to serve

Method:

In a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish, heat the oil and brown the sausages with the onions for 10 mins until golden. Add the garlic and spice mix with 75ml water to prevent them from burning, and cook for 2 mins until fragrant. Add the dates and tomatoes, mix well, then spread out onto 2 plates to cool before pouring into a freezer bag and freezing for up to 3 months.
To cook from frozen, put the stew into a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish with all but 2 tbsp of the stock. Cover with a lid and gently heat to defrost for 25 mins, stirring occasionally.
Once the stew is fully defrosted, mix the cornflour with the reserved stock and pour into the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 5 mins until thickened and piping hot. Serve with mashed potato.