The grizzly weather here in Toronto teleported me back to the recipes I was making in early winter, when soups, stews and roasts reigned supreme… and the lazy logical part of me was nagging me to use up what I had on hand rather than head out to the grocery store to over stuff an already full fridge and pantry.
Even though we were rocketing forward in recent posts to ”spring just around the corner” and even talk of ”bathing suit season”, this weather firmly reminded me of my tendencies towards wishful thinking… the benefit of which is that we get another chance to enjoy this delicious stew, which is simple, satisfying and pretty forgiving in terms of the ingredients you have on hand! So pull out your cast iron dutch oven for another round… and for all of you making meals ahead for the week, this recipe is even more fantastic if left over night in the fridge for consumption the next day after a hectic day at the office.
Spicy Sausage and White Bean Stew
(Serves 4 Homebodies)
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced and halved
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced and halved
1 1/2 cups baby spinach (or more, if you have a thing for spinach like I do!)
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/2 of a 15 oz can of white navy beans, drained and well rinsed
4 spicy Italian sausages (pork works best, but if using turkey sausage, you will likely need olive oil to fry veggies)
1/2 cup white wine, cooking sherry, chicken stock or water
A squirt of hot sauce of your choice, or a tiny sprinkle of cayene pepper or crushed chilies (at your discretion – depending on the sausage and your taste buds you may not need this at all!).
1tsp dried parsely
1 tsp oregano
Salt and Black Pepper to taste.
Prep the sliced veggies and garlic, and open your cans in advance and set in a bowl beside the stove, because this recipe will move along at a quick pace once you get going!
Remove the sausages from their casings directly into a piping hot cast iron dutch oven, or heavy bottomed pot. Break up the meat into small bits using a large wooden spoon (I really love a good wooden spoon and cast iron couple, don’t you?). Fry until cooked and scoop up the meat into a separate bowl.
Leave the lovely sausage drippings behind to lightly brown the onion and garlic. Add your choice of cooking liquid, the can of tomatoes with the juice, the sliced carrots, celery and zucchini, give it a quick stir and turn down the heat to medium high, putting the lid on the pot. Allow the mixture to simmer away until the veggies have softened, about 10-15 minutes, checking on it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Return the cooked sausage to the pot, along with the half can of white beans. Add the additional hot sauce or chilies if using, as well as the seasonings and the salt and pepper to taste. At the very last minute, add the baby spinach, stir and put the lid on to allow the spinach to melt into the mixture (this is my favourite part of making this recipe, watching the spinach go all melty and wonderful, and perhaps knowing I am going to get to eat soon is part of it as well!).
Turn the heat off immediately after adding the spinach so it doesn’t overcook and become nasty and stringy.
Enjoy the stew with a bit of garlic toast, pita crisps, biscuits* (see below) or serve on top of some cooked brown rice.
For an extra special treat, whip together these biscuits using the cheaty bisquick mix… it’ll be like the old rice crispies commercial where the lady comes out with flour on her face and a look that says, I’m a domestic goddess … when in reality the recipe was a cinch to pull together!
2 1/4 cups Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk**
Heat oven to 450. Stir ingredients until soft dough forms. Turn onto surface dusted with Bisquick mix. Knead 10 times.
Roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut with 2 1/2-inch cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
**I couldn’t leave well enough alone… so I added 1/3 cup shredded cheddar and a sprinkle of dried parsely to my biscuits before I rolled them out and put them in the oven.
I’m off to present this feast to my hubby after I pat some flour on my face… maybe it’ll earn me the elusive foot rub award!
Hungry Homebody
