Sausage and Bean Stew
This is another Melissa Clark recipe. She keeps coming up with good ones. Although the ingredients are mainly Italian, this reminds me of chili.
Ingredients:
- Olive oil for frying
- 1 lb. Italian sausage cut into ¾ inch slices
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 & 1/2 cups Italian trinity
- 2 diced garlic cloves
- 1 lb. cannelloni beans rinsed
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 large rosemary sprig
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsps. balsamic vinegar plus more for serving
- Salt and black pepper
Place the sausage in the freezer for 20 minutes. This makes it easier to slice and hold its shape. Brown the sausage in oil in a stock pot. Remove when done and leave the oil and fat in the pot.
Add the tomato paste and cumin to the pot and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the trinity and garlic. Cook on medium until the vegetables have softened.
Stir in the beans, 8 cups of water, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Bring it to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the beans are cooked – about 2 hours.
At this point remove about a cup of beans and puree them in a blender or food processor and return them to the pot to thicken the stew. Return the sausage to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, taste and adjust seasoning.
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