Everyone's favourite sausage & beans
Eat Plentiful #8
Some foods just belong together - sausage and beans are one of those combinations that is super satisfying. If you think about it a lot of countries have their own version of pork and beans; cassoulet in france, salsicce e favioli in Italy, fava e chourico in Portugal, Mexican black beans and spicy sausage, Creole black beans and sausage…the list goes on.
Why?
Beans are a beloved staple in so many cuisines for great reason. They’re affordable, versatile, and nourishing. Sausage and beans are USUALLY easy one pot crowd pleasers which both adults and kids like. No cooking skills are required, quick to make, no fuss and can be prepared ahead. Additionally, the measurements here hardly matter, you can adapt your recipe according to how much meat you want, tomato sauce or not, what type of herbs. It's really up to you and what's in your fridge.
I say usually because at Christmas, 2 years ago, we were cooking for 30 people and we all agreed cassoulet would be an easy and hassle free dish to pull off - couldn’t have been more wrong. The whole process started 48 hours prior to us eating with the desalting of the meat, anyway it ended up being a very hands on and lengthy process, the opposite of what cooking for big groups should be like. And the end result was just too meaty and still quite salty.
I like my sausage and beans quick to cook and with a punch, that’s why I’ve added salsa verde to this recipe, I like to spoon it on top to give the dish a bit of a kick. I love salsa verde, it’s the best way to use up any sad looking herbs and it works perfect with meat, fish or veggies alike. It’s the go on everything sauce you’ve been waiting for. It wakes up just about anything it touches!
Sausage, beans, greens & salsa verde
Makes: 4 adult servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
Sausage & beans
1-2 (or more) sausages per person, depending on appetites
2 big handfuls of greens (kale, collard greens, spinach)
2 small cans (250g) cannellini or borlotti beans
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Salsa verde
Handful of parsley
Half handful of mint
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp cornichons
½ lemon juice
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp vinegar
1 garlic clove
3 anchovy fillets
8 tbsp Olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
SALSA VERDE
Peel the garlic and pick the herb leaves, then chop roughly on a large board with the capers, gherkins and anchovies.
The herb mixture, and all the remaining ingredients with half the olive oil to a blender and mix.
Slowly stir in the rest of the oil until you get the right consistency. I like mine to still be bity and thick enough to be able to spoon onto something.
Balance the flavours with black pepper, a bit of sea salt and maybe a little more vinegar
It keeps for a few weeks in the fridge in a jar.
SAUSAGE AND BEANS
In a large pot large enough to hold all the sausages in one layer, brown the sausages on all sides in abundant olive oil.
When the sausages are nice and brown, remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add the chopped garlic and greens and saute for 3 minutes.
Add the beans and simmer for 5 mins until the beans are hot. Then add the sausages back into the pot and simmer for 5 minutes more to allow the flavours to meld.
Serve on a plate, with a spoonful of salsa verde.
Like all stews, it tastes better the next days so don’t worry if you can’t finish it all
Let’s talk about the unsexy side of beans - the more you eat, the more you toot there’s no way getting away from that.
Beans make us toot because they contain sugars and fibre that our bodies have a hard time digesting. When these sugars meet up with the bacteria in our large intestines, it produces gas and so we toot.
Don’t let it deter you from eating beans though… just make sure you eat them surrounded by children or animals…at least you’ll have someone else to blame!
Until next time x