I haven't been around much lately due to a series of unfortunate events. I miss hanging out here and hope that next year will allow for more visits. This is what we had for dinner and it went over so well I thought I'd record the recipe so I could try to duplicate it sometime. And as I typed it out it occured to me that I should share it with my friends at FLDG. It's really very good, very satisfying, not very difficult to make, and nourishing.
Beans, Sausage, Cabbage, Kale Soup over Polenta
Serves 8 - 10
1 lb navy beans (use any white bean) - cleaned and cooked - save the broth
Water
Salt and pepper
1 lb mild Italian sausage - remove from casing
1 bunch tuscan kale - separate from spines and chop
¼ head cabbage - cored and chopped
½ can tomatoes with juice
1 cup white wine
1 tbl each fresh thyme, basil, oregano minced
1 med onion sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
Olive oil
Cook the beans - I used a pressure cooker - 1 lb beans, 2 inches water, 1 tbl olive oil. Bring to a boil, pressurize to 15atm for 35 minutes (probably should have used 30). Let it depressurize and remove the top.
In another pot, saute the onions for a few minutes until softened, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the herbs and cook for a few minutes more. Add the sausage and cook until no more pink remains. Add the wine, tomatoes, juice and cabbage. Add 2 or three ladle fulls of the bean broth. Bring to a boil, turn heat down, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until cabbage is slightly soft and sweet. Add beans, rest of bean broth, and kale. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or so until kale is wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over polenta with grated parmesan cheese.
Easy polenta (from about.com)
1 lb polenta
2 quarts water
1 heaping tsp salt
Bring water and salt to boiling a Dutch oven or other very heavy bottomed pot. Add polenta slowly and stir for 5 minutes. Bring heat down to simmer, cover. Stir every 10 minutes or so for a total of 40 minutes. Dump into a lightly oiled bowl and let cool. Invert bowl on plate. Place slices of polenta in bottom of serving bowl and serve soup over it.