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1
Preheat your oven to 220C/425F/gas Put your porcini mushrooms into a dish, cover with 565ml/1 pint of boiling water and allow to soak until soft.
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2
Heat a large casserole-type pan or roasting tray on the hob.
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3
Slice the bacon across into strips called lardons.
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4
Fry in 4 tablespoons of olive oil until crisp and golden.
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5
Tie your herbs together with some string and add to the bacon in the pan with your onions, garlic, carrot, celery and bay leaves.
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6
Drain the porcini, reserving the soaking liquid, add them to the pan and fry nice and slowly for about 5 minutes.
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7
Add the red wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
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8
Add the tomatoes to the pan, breaking them up with a spoon, then add your strained porcini soaking liquor and the beans.
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9
Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
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10
Lightly season before laying your sausages on top all higgledy piggledy.
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11
Break up your bread into coarse, chunky breadcrumbs, toss with the thyme, a little salt and olive oil and sprinkle on top of the sausages.
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12
Place in the oven for around 1 hour until the sausages and breadcrumbs are golden and crisp.
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13
Remove the bunch of herbs and serve with something like mashed potato or polenta.
