Sausage casserole

• 5 large pork sausages
• 1 oz butter
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 4 oz roughly chopped mushrooms
• 1 green bell pepper, deseed, chopped into ~1" square pieces
• 1 courgette (zuchini), sliced
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 2oz (about a quarter cup) flour
• 1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs
• 5 fl oz red wine and 15 fl oz beef stock combined in a large jug
• salt and black pepper to taste

Place a large casserole dish in the oven and preheat to 350F.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat then add the butter and oil. Brown the sausages -- you're not trying to fully cook them here, just put some color on them. Once browned, remove and set to one side.

Add the onion to the frying pan and fry gently until soft and golden. Next add the remaining vegetables and cook for 5 minutes or as necessary to soften them up. Sprinkle over the flour and dried herbs along with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Now crank up the heat and add the wine and stock mixture, a little at a time, stirring well each time you add more. This should result in the vegetables sitting in a rich gravy. Cut each sausage into 4 or 5 slices on the diagonal and add to the pan. 

Stir everything together well and when the sauce has thickened a little transfer to the preheated casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Serve with copious amounts of mashed potato.

BBQ chipotle pork tenderloin

• 1 can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 3 tbsp lime juice (~1 lime)
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 x ~8oz pork tenderloins, trimmed of excessive fat

Combine all marinade ingredients blender and puree until smooth. How many of the chipotle chiles and how much of the accompanying sauce you use is a matter of personal taste but you probably don't want the whole tin. I'd recommend a one or two chilies and a couple teaspoons of the sauce.

Place the tenderloins into a large ziploc bag or airtight container and add the marinade. Seal and marinade for at least an hour, but overnight is best.

Fire up your grill (BBQ) to a high heat. I use charcoal with hickory wood chips added during cooking for maximum flavor. When the grill is hot remove the tenderloins from the marinade and cook directly over the hot coals. The best way to do this is to treat them like they have four sides, turning them every 4 - 5 minutes resulting in about 16 - 20 minutes cooking time in total. You really want one of those instant read thermometers for checking the temperature here as overcooked tenderloin isn't very tender. You're looking for the center of the meat to reach 145F. 

Once ready, transfer the tenderloins to a plate, cover with foil and let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

These are awesome with the usual BBQ accompaniments or in a cuban style sandwich.