Yesterday finally felt like November in the Midwest. Rainy, cold, gray. Typically I'm bummed out when the weather starts turning cold and yucky like this but I had already planned on making Cassoulet for dinner, so I didn't let it dampen my spirits. In fact, rainy, cold weather practically begs for something hearty and warm that sticks to your ribs and makes the whole house smell amazing. That's exactly how I would describe this recipe.
I keep all my parmesan rinds. Parmesan cheese is one of the things that doesn't run out in our house. When we get low, I go ahead and get another wedge, and just throw the rind of the old one (leaving a little cheese on there, too) in a plastic bag and into the freezer. This is the simplest and cheapest way to add a huge punch of flavor to soup or stew. You get the tang, creaminess, saltiness and umami from the parmesan -- building all those flavors could take lots of extra ingredients and time, otherwise. It's one of my favorite cooking "secrets" for sure.
Definitely use dried beans in this recipe. It's worth the extra step and time it takes to soak them overnight. It's not like it's a labor intensive process, it just requires a bit of planning ahead. When the beans are cooked from their dried state, I've found that you get less of that mealy texture and they're also easier to digest without all the issues for which beans have a bad reputation.
If you're vegetarian, or even if you just don't feel like buying sausage, go ahead and leave it out! The sausage is not the star of the show. We like meat in this house and I wanted to stretch the recipe a little further so I did use it but you certainly don't have to.
Ingredients:
1 lb Dried great northern beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 Slices of bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Small yellow onion, diced
1 Large carrot, diced
2 Ribs of celery, diced
1/2 Cup Vermouth or white wine
6-8 Cups stock, or a mixture of stock and water, whatever is easy and accessible for you. (Veggie, chicken or beef stock will work...whatever you have on hand) You want enough liquid to cover the beans by about 1 1/2 inches.
1 Tbsp herb de provence
2 Bay leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Thick parmesan rind
Salt and Pepper
3 Mild Italian sausages (kielbasa would also work... I actually used turkey sausage in this one)
3 Cups kale, chopped into small pieces
Grated parmesan, for serving
Crusty bread, for serving
In a large, heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid, heat the olive oil on medium. Add in the bacon and cook until crispy but not completely crunchy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Into the bacon fat, add the onions, carrots and celery. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the onions are translucent. Pour in the vermouth or wine and stir, scraping any browned bits off the bottom. Add the bacon back into the pot, along with the beans, stock, bay leaves, herb de provence, parmesan rind and lemon juice. Season once more with salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and put the lid on. Simmer on low for 1.5-2 hours, or until "until beans have gorged themselves with fat and water and swelled like the fat boy in his prime", as Tamar Adler would say.
Meanwhile, heat the broiler in your oven and cook the sausages, turning occasionally until browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Set aside. When cool enough to handle, slice into 5-6 pieces per sausage.
When the beans are done, add in the sausage and kale and stir to combine. Allow this to all cook together for 5-10 minutes... just long enough to sufficiently wilt the kale. Ladle into wide, shallow bowls and garnish with parmesan. Serve with crusty bread on the side, on a cold day. This makes fabulous leftovers, as the flavors continue to marinate. By the end of the week, you can serve what's left over rice with roasted veggies (little roasted tomatoes would be yummy) and a little vinegar drizzled on top.
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