Sucuklu Kuru Fasulye – Spicy Butter Bean and Tomato Stew with Turkish Sujuk (Garlic Sausage) – Turkish Cassoulet

Servings: 4 – 8 (We got 8 servings from this but we’re purposely sticking to smaller portion sizes.)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
200 grams sujuk, sliced (Turkish lamb or beef cured sausage. If you can’t find any, substitute with chorizo or garlic sausage.)
a knob of butter
1 x red onion, finely chopped
2 x garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 x red (or green) pepper, finely chopped
3 – 4 tomatoes, chopped
1 x 400 gram can of butter beans, drained and rinsed (*apparently you can also use cannellini beans or broad beans instead, too)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon harissa paste (*or however much you prefer in terms of hot spiciness!)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 x bay leaf
1 tablespoon tomato paste
150 ml stock (chicken or vegetable)
a splash of wine (optional)
a pinch of sugar (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, finely chopped (to serve)

Directions

In a large lidded pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on Medium heat, and fry the sliced sausage for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove meat from the pan and set it aside for now.
Add the second tablespoon olive oil to the pan, along with the butter. Add the onion and fry until it just begins to soften. Add in the garlic and red/green pepper and cook for another 5 minute or so.
Add in the tomatoes, butter beans, oregano, harissa paste, cumin and bay leaf. Stir until well-combined.
Add in the tomato paste, stock, and splash of wine (if using). Bring to the boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add in the sausage, and continue to simmer on a low heat for another 20 to 30 minutes.
Season to taste, adding a pinch of sugar if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

My Notes

I used 1/2 teaspoon of harissa paste because I’m a wimp about spicy food. I used 1/4 cup tomato paste because I had it in the house and needed to use it up. I used canned tomatoes (and their juice) instead of fresh, a regular yellow onion, and vegetable stock. I skipped the pinch of sugar and splash of wine. As I type out this recipe I realise I completely forgot to add in the red/green peppers.
This made 8 smaller sized portions. Leftovers have been frozen.