Sausage, White Beans & Escarole

Sausage, White Beans & Escarole

For 4–6:

• 1½ lb Italian sausage, preferably sweet with a little hot

• 2 heads escarole, cleaned and roughly chopped

• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• ½ small onion or 1 large shallot, thinly sliced

• ½ cup dry white wine

• ½–¾ cup chicken stock, maximum

• Pinch red pepper flakes

• Parmigiano-Reggiano

• EVOO

• Lemon

• Salt & lots of black pepper

The technique matters here:

1. Sear the sausage in large pieces. Get legitimate browning on it. Remove when nearly cooked through.

2. Add onion/shallot to the sausage drippings and sauté until soft. Add garlic and chile flakes.

3. Deglaze with the wine and reduce until it’s almost completely gone.

4. Add the escarole. Season lightly and sauté over medium-high heat. Let it wilt and actually cook off its water rather than creating a broth.

5. Add the beans and about ½ cup stock. Toss gently. You’re using just enough liquid to marry everything together.

6. Return the sausage and cook uncovered another 5–8 minutes. By the end, there should be essentially no liquid pooling in the pan. The beans should be creamy, escarole tender and sausage browned.

7. Off heat, finish aggressively: good EVOO + Parmigiano + black pepper + lemon zest and a small squeeze of lemon.

I’d plate it like an entrée

Put the escarole and cannellini beans down first. Arrange the browned sausage over the top. Shave Parmigiano over everything, drizzle with your good olive oil and serve with grilled garlic bread alongside.

One upgrade I’d seriously consider: roasted cherry tomatoes scattered over the top. The acidity and sweetness would cut through the sausage and beans without turning the dish into a tomato sauce.