anyone know how to make a yummy casserole/stew?

[inkyminky]

Am using the leftovers of the fridge for a beef casserole, so far have steak, mushrooms, onions, leeks, carrotts and a rather dubious colmans packet of casserole sauce....I have some sausages, which the family love, would you put them in raw to cook in the casserole or grill them first? Is there anything else you would add to make the sauce a bit more juicy/home made feel?

[useless, help me expression needed]

Do you have a slow cooker? If so, I'd put the sausages in raw. Also if you have any soups add them to the mixture as they make the stew a bit more gloopy and tasty. Oh and throw in a stock cube/gravy.

no slow cooker chloe, just popping in oven. Maybe I better flash them under the grill first. Good tip about the soup, thanks.

Yeah probably best then. Hope it turns out nice

sausages with steak???

hmmm, yes I know not exactly cordon bleu isit?, but its another thing not to pack when we move house next week I'd put the eggs and stawberries in too if I could.

Could you do a steak one and then a suasage one another day (with the strawberries and eggs too if you insist!)

Chloe's soup excellent idea, I always put a tin of veg soup in, diluted with water and some Worcs sauce.

Definitely cook first. Sweat onions, leeks, carrots. Brown meat. Chuck a tbsp of flour over and cook (will look yucky). Add 500ml stock, half a bottle of red wine. Cook for around 1.5 hours. Add mushrooms. Cook another 30 mins.

I'd do sausages sep.

Am not feeling a lot of sausage love coming though, think I may leave for brekkie tommorrow.

What about potatoes, separate or bung em in?????

pleasesaybungemin,pleasesaybungemin,pleasesaybungemin.

I'd par boil them then def bungemin - bloody hell, are you just routing through your cupboards and seeing what is savoury? Serve up the stew in a big yorkshire pud if you have any.

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Leave out the yucky Colman mix and/or the stockcube. Unnecessary,give it a horrid chemical flavour and full of crap to boot.

Browning onions beforehand will give you the flavour.Also,add some wine or a few shakes of soy.

Thanks everyone, some great ideas for me to be the domestic godess that I'm sure is hiding (very deep) inside of me.

Could do sausage casserole with some beans if you have cans of kidney/chick peas/baked beans in the cupboard.

Chop onions, add carrot and brown. Brown sausages and chop into smaller pieces. Add veg stock, tinned tomatoes, dash of tabasco. COrnflour to thicken. 2 hours in oven.

Casserole queen this week. See thread on soft food (well not exactly thread cos no-one's answered!)