Beans & Greens in Broth with Italian Sausage & Orecchiette

From the blog For Love of the Table

1/3 lb. (a scant cup) Cannellini beans, soaked overnight, or quick soaked

Olive oil

4 to 6 cloves of garlic, peeled

One or two sprigs of rosemary

Salt

1 red onion, (about 8 oz.), trimmed, peeled and finely diced

Pinch of hot pepper flakes, to taste

2/3 lb. of trimmed greens—from about 3 bunches of beets or two bunches of Swiss Chard—cut into fat ribbons (a wide chiffonade), and rinsed in several changes of water

About 2 2/3 cups rich chicken stock—more or less, depending on how brothy you want the final dish to be

8 oz. Italian Sausage—sweet or hot, as you prefer—casings removed, if necessaryand the meat formed into tiny little meatballs (you should get about 60 to 64)

8 oz. Orecchiette pasta

Freshly grated Parmesan

Drain and rinse the beans and place in a small sauce pan. Add enough cold water to cover by a couple of inches. Add a couple of cloves of garlic and a sprig or two of rosemary. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that comes to the surface. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil, reduce the heat. Maintain a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender…about an hour to an hour and a half. When the beans are half cooked, season to taste with salt. Add hot water to the pan as necessary to maintain enough liquid to cover the beans by a half inch to an inch.

When the beans are cooked, remove the garlic cloves and the rosemary. Set the beans aside (leave them in the cooking liquid) until ready to add them to the final dish. You may cook the beans a day or so ahead if you like. Cool and store the beans in their cooking liquid.

Warm about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, wide sauté pan with straight sides or a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the red onion, along with a pinch of salt, and sweat until very tender and beginning to caramelize, reducing the heat if the onions begin to color before they are tender—about 10 to 15 minutes. While the onions cook, mince two or three cloves of garlic. When the onions are ready, add the garlic and pepper flakes and continue to cook until fragrant…a minute or two. Add the greens to the pan (along with any water clinging to them) a handful at a time, turning with tongs to coat in the oil, and adding another handful as the previous one begins to collapse. Season with salt (be careful—the sausage will be salty and the greens will continue to collapse) and continue to cook until the greens are just tender.

While the greens cook, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt the water generously (about a teaspoon per quart). Drop the orecchiette into the boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Drain, toss with a bit of olive oil and set aside in a warm spot.

When the greens are tender, add the chicken stock along with the beans and their cooking liquid. Bring the broth to a simmer. Add the meatballs to the simmering liquid. Continue to simmer until the meatballs are just cooked through…about five to seven minutes (cut one open to make sure it is cooked through). Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning.

Divide the warm pasta among warmed shallow soup bowls. Divide the beans, greens, sausage and broth among the bowls. Drizzle with olive oil if you like and top with freshly grated parmesan. Serve immediately….with crusty bread, biscuits or cornbread…

Serves 4 to 6, depending on appetites.

http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2015/01/beans-greens-in-broth-with-italian.html

As published on forloveofthetable.com