In the mood for stews

Although it’s not cold here yet, now that we’re into December I’m beginning to feel like wintry food, the colours and flavours of the colder months.  It’s nice to come home with a vague idea of a recipe for the ingredients that await, to put them together and to find myself only an hour or so later eating just what I’d wanted.  This is what happened at lunchtime today.

I had half a kilo of sausage bought from the charcutier in the market on Wednesday that I fried in olive oil in a cast-iron casserole for ten minutes while I fried pieces of pumpkin separately to brown them.  I added a chopped onion to the sausage and let it soften for five minutes or so then added the pumpkin, a handful of black and green olives, some chopped garlic, a few peeled and chopped tomatoes (the last ones from the garden this season), a tablespoonful of capers, a couple of sprigs of oregano and a bay leaf, a big glassful of white wine, salt and pepper, and left it all to stew for 45 minutes.  Served with garlic mashed potatoes, it was just what I’d hoped for….and there are leftovers too!