Sausage and bean hotpot

I have suggested flageolet or lima beans here as they survive the canning process rather better than some. Haricot beans are another possibility.

Serves 3

6 fat tasty butcher's sausages
2 x 400g tins flageolet or lima beans, drained and rinsed

1 x 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 x 540g jar tomato passata

2 tsps chilli paste such as harissa or 3 hot red chilli peppers

2 tbsp grainy mustard

1 tsp made English mustard

3 tomatoes, halved

chopped flat-leaf parsley

The sausage and bean hotpot is known in many cultures. Britain has no national bean and sausage dish even though we eat beans in their millions and make some jolly fine sausages. We seem to prefer beans and chipolatas in tins. Here is a fast version that I offer as our version of the genre.

Fry the sausages, if necessary in a little oil, till golden, but not brown, on each side. Mix the remaining ingredients, apart from the parsley, and spoon into an ovenproof casserole. Add the sausages and bake in a preheated oven, 230C/450F (gas mark 8), for 20-25 minutes till everything is bubbling and lightly browned on top. Scatter over the parsley.

Wholewheat pasta with sausages, mustard and caramelised onions

A marvellously robust dish to come home to on a winter's night. Any wholewheat (or any other for that matter) pasta is fine, though fettuccine is my favourite.

Serves 2

175g fresh spicy sausage

3tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, cut into thin rings

225g wholewheat pasta

150ml chicken or vegetable stock

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp grain mustard

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Slice the sausage into thick rounds. Fry it in the oil for 4 minutes, then add the onion rings. Continue cooking, covered, until onions start to soften, adding a drop more oil if necessary. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add a little salt and the pasta. Cook until it is firm but tender.

After about 15-20 minutes, when the onions are golden and have caramelised and are ever-so-slightly burned at the edges, add the stock. Bring to the boil, scrape up the good things stuck to the pan with a wooden spatula and stir in the chopped parsley and the grain mustard. Add the cooked, drained pasta and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Broad beans and black pudding

Serves 2, as a light supper

350g black pudding

225g smoked ham, in one piece

4 spring onions, chopped

450g shelled broad beans (they can be frozen)

1 small glass of dry white wine

2 sprigs of mint

The Spanish, some of the most enthusiastic pork eaters in the world, often include a dish of skinned broad beans tossed with ham in a selection of tapas. Black pudding is a popular alternative, and one I prefer.

Cut the black pudding into thick slices, about 2.5cm wide. Cut each slice in half. Cut the smoked ham into cubes, no bigger than 2.5cm. In a shallow pan, fry the black pudding and the ham with its fat until sizzling. If the ham does not produce enough fat, add a tablespoon of oil. Add the spring onions and fry till wilted. Add the broad beans and toss in the fat, pour in the white wine and mint. Simmer for 15 minutes, by which time the beans should be tender and much of the wine evaporated.

Sausages braised in white wine

The best version I made of this was one where I threw in last night's cooked and leftover green lentils just after I had made the sauce. Stirred for 3 minutes till warm, it was quite sublime.

Serves 2

4-6 pork sausages depending on their size

1 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

100ml good chicken stock

1 small wineglass of wine, red or white

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

A knob of butter

Chopped parsley

Butter a heavy, heatproof dish. Place the sausages in the pan with the oil and set over a medium heat. Brown them on all sides very lightly. Scatter over the shallots and cook for a minute or so; then add all the other ingredients except the parsley.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes till the sausages are tight and tender. Check from time to time that the liquid has not completely evaporated - there should be just enough left to make a bit of a sauce with. Lift out the sausages, drop in a large knob of cold butter and stir in till the sauce thickens. Scatter parsley and serve hot.

Sausage bubble and squeak

Bubble and squeak gets its name from the way the cabbage tends to squeak in the pan. At least that is what I have been told. Kale, or spinach, cooked and chopped roughly, is as good, sometimes better than cabbage. Generous seasoning is crucial. This can include a spring onion or two, chopped and fried with the fat. I once made it with bacon, which was a success, and with mushrooms, which wasn't.

A large knob of butter or dripping

Half the weight of the potatoes and greens below of good-quality butcher's Sausages

Equal amounts of cold mashed potato and cooked greens (volume, not weight)

One of the more sensible options for the resurrection of leftovers. I have added sausages to the classic recipe to make this more of a complete meal. A fried egg if you like such things, or cold cuts, is another idea. The quantities are deliberately vague - this is far from haute cuisine.

Melt the fat in a deep-sided frying-pan, slice the sausage into thick rounds and fry until light golden brown. Mix together the potato and greens and tip into the sausage pan. Squash the mixture down with a palette knife and cook till the bottom has browned and crisped in the butter.

The wine list

Sausage and bean hotpot

2000 Clovelly Cabernet Sauvignon (£6.99, Wine Rack; Bottoms Up). A small volume Cape Cabernet that is well worth tracking down, this is an intense, stylish, polished red showing deep colour, flavours of mint and fresh blackcurrants and finely textured tannins. An excellent claret alternative.

Pasta with sausage, mustard and caramelised onions

2001 Inzolia, Villa Tonino (£4.95 by the case, Liberty Wines, 020 7720 5350). One of a series of excellent value Italian whites, this weighty, food-friendly bianco has notes of cooked pears, herbs and honey.

Broad beans and black pudding

1999 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel (£7.49, Somerfield) I don't need much excuse to reach for a bottle of California Zinfandel. This juicy, tobacco and plum-scented number tastes as good as it looks, with its ripe berry fruits flavours, warming alcohol and sweet oak. A great glugger.

Sausages braised in white wine

2002 Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc, Constantia (£7.99, Oddbins) Easier to drink than pronounce, this is one of the most stylish in South Africa.

Sausage bubble and squeak

2001 Blason de Bourgogne Saint Veran, Cave de Priss¿ (£6.99, Tesco) A really flavoursome, modern white Burgundy from a leading M¿connais co-operative, which shows that Chardonnay doesn't have to be aged in oak to taste good. Cream and citrus fruit combine appealingly on the palate.

Tim Atkin