Braised sausages with red onions, prunes and apples

Ingredients

1 Tbsp	Olive oil
2	Sausages, (to 3 per person, depending on the size) (Main)
1	Carrot, (diced)
1	Celery, (diced)
2	Red onions, (sliced)
1	Bay leaf
3 sprigs	Fresh thyme
8	Pitted prunes
1	Green apple, (cored and sliced)
1 ½ cups	Vegetable stock
½ cup	Red wine
1	Freshly ground black pepper, (to season)

Directions

1. In a casserole dish, heat the oil. Add the whole sausages and brown for 5 minutes while turning occasionally. Preheat the oven to 170C.
2. Remove the sausages and set aside. Add the carrot, celery, onion, bay and thyme to the casserole and stir for three minutes.
3. Remove the casserole from the heat, then return the sausages to the pan with the prunes, apple, stock and wine. Add a grind of pepper then braise for one hour before serving with polenta, or a kumara or potato mash.