Cockle-warming Sausage Stew

(SERVES 4)

• 450 g/1 1b low-fat pork sausages
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 450 g/1 1b carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 400 g/14 oz/1 large can chopped tomatoes
• 300 ml/ ½ pt/ ¼ cups vegetable stock, made with 1 stock cube
• 30 ml/2 tbsp tomato puree (paste)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small bay leaf
• 450 g/1 1b potatoes, diced

To Serve:

• 4 not-too-thick slices crusty bread

Dry-fry (sauté) the sausages in a heavy-based saucepan until well browned all over. Remove from the pain and drain on kitchen paper. Drain of all the fat in the pan and wipe out with kitchen paper. Add the remaining ingredients except the potatoes. Return the sausages . Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 35 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes until the mixture is a rich stew with very little liquid. Taste and re-season if necessary. Remove the bay leaf and serve with a little crust bread.