Tag: Cannellini beans

Italian Sausage Chili – Another Super Bowl

It’s been a while since we posted a chili recipe, and what better time than right before the Super Bowl? When it comes to feeding large groups of hungry sports fans frugally, there’s nothing like a big pot of chili. That’s right, more money for beer.

While I’ve added pork to ground beef in chili before, I’ve never tried it with all Italian sausage, and I loved the results. We Italian’d this up even more with cannellini beans and a touch of basil, but other than that, it’s a fairly classic chili (everywhere except Texas and Cincinnati).

Putting basil in chili may sound a little odd, but the sweet, aromatic herb is absolutely perfect with these big, bold flavors, which is why you’ll find it in things like spicy Thai curries and Vietnamese soups. It actually has me thinking about adding coconut milk to a beef chili, along with the basil, but that one is still in the brainstorming stage.

In the video, I mention not to drain the meat after you brown it. This is a common instruction in chili recipes, and is intended to drain off fat, but you also lose lots of flavorful juice. Instead, keep and reduce the juices as you finish browning the meat, and skim the fat off the top later. Everybody wins. I really hope you give this great chili a try soon…like Sunday. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 servings (you can double or triple for larger groups easily):

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 1/2 pounds Italian sausage
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tbsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup tomato puree

1 red pepper
1 green pepper

2 (12 ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed

*plus more water as needed during the two simmering stages
*garnish with sour cream, avocado, red onion, and basil!

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Utica Greens and Beans – Finding Good Fortune in Upstate New York

As many of you hardcore foodies know, there’s a southern tradition of eating beans and greens on New Year’s Day to help bring good fortune in the coming year.

By eating “poor” the first day of the year, you supposedly ensure prosperity and good luck the rest of the year. I think I speak for all superstitious, Italian-Americas when I say, that totally makes sense.

Whether you believe in such things or not, you should still try this year’s edible good luck charm, Utica Greens. This delicious Update New York vegetable casserole comes in many forms, but usually contains some combination of bitter greens, usually escarole, pancetta or prosciutto, hot fresh or pickled peppers, and bread crumbs.

I’m adding some cranberry beans, so you all get rich in 2014, but that’s totally fine since the locals often add chunks of potatoes, and once you start doing things like that, all bets are off. Whether side dish or main course, this is a perfect winter vegetable magnet, and I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy, Happy New Year, and most of all, good fortune!

Ingredients for 6 side dish servings:

2 heads escarole

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

4 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, diced

handful of sliced fresh hot peppers, or jarred pickled peppers

3 cloves minced garlic

1 cup chicken broth

12 ounce can cooked cranberry beans, or Cannellini beans, butter beans, white beans, etc., optional

1/2 cup fine plain bread crumbs, plus more for the top

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Tuscan White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup (Crock Pot Recipe)

Creamy white bean soup, with roasted garlic and a touch of sage. So simple and inexpensive to make, and so so good. Leftovers can be frozen.

This started out as an experiment, and ended as a soup. I never know what to expect when I throw something in the slow cooker, I wanted to see if I can cook white beans in the crock pot without soaking them first. The answer is yes you can; it took about 3-4 hours on high. But they basically looked like cooked beans in water, not like a thick pot of beans that I imagined so I quickly fixed that and turned this into a great tasting soup.

As a kid, I remember my Mom pureeing all my soups to make me eat them. As an adult, I tend to still like my beans pureed in my soup. You can leave some beans whole as I did to give it some texture, or blend the whole thing, up to you.

My method for roasting garlic is a little unconventional, I peel my cloves before roasting because I prefer not to have to do it after. Completely up to you how you roast your garlic, the end result is the same. If you are pressed for time, and wish to skip the roasted garlic, it will still taste wonderful. I personally think adding them makes it go from good to great.

Note: if you want to make this vegetarian, substitute the chicken bouillon for vegetable.

Tuscan White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup (Crock Pot Recipe)
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 7 • Size: little over 1 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 241 • Fat: 3 g • Carb: 41 g • Fiber: 6 g • Protein: 15 g • Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 322 mg (without added salt)

Ingredients:

1 lb dry Cannellini beans, rinsed
1 head garlic, peeled
8 cups water
4 sage leaves, plus more for garnish
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp chicken Better Than Bouillon, or cube (vegs us vegetable bouillon)
kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

Place beans, 3 cloves of the garlic, water and a few sage leaves in the crock pot; cover and set to HIGH 4 hours, or until beans are soft. Don’t add salt.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°. Place remaining garlic cloves in the center of a 7×7 inch square of aluminum foil (photo above is showing half of the cloves, use the whole thing). Cover garlic with olive oil and a little salt. Seal aluminum tightly and place in the oven 25-30 minutes, until garlic is soft and golden. Remove from oven and set aside until the beans are done.

When the beans are soft, add the bouillon and mix well until dissolved, then carefully some of the beans and liquid along with the roasted garlic to the blender. Blend until smooth and pour it back into the crock pot. Repeat with the remaining beans until you get the texture you desire. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

Serve with fresh sage and white pepper on top and if you wish, some whole roasted garlic cloves on top. (I reserved a few)

Makes about 7 3/4 cups.