Braised Sausages with Borlotti
Beans, Rosemary and Sage
You can use
any beans in this recipe, but borlotti are the best of all. The smokiness of
the pancetta
is also important, but if you can’t get it, use smoked bacon.
Serves : 2 – 3
Ingredients:
1lb / 450g
Good, Meaty Sausages
8oz / 225g Dried Borlotti Beans,
pre-soaked and drained, soaking liquid reserved
1 Heaped tsp Chopped Fresh Rosemary, plus 2 – 3
Sprigs to Garnish
1 Heaped tsp Chopped Fresh Sage,
plus 2 – 3 Leaves to Garnish
1 tbsp Olive Oil
4oz / 110g Sliced Smoked
Pancetta (or Smoked
Bacon), chopped
1 Large Red Onion,
peeled and chopped
2 Cloves Garlic
10 floz /
275ml Dry White Wine
Salt and Freshly
Milled Black Pepper
Instructions:
1.
Pre-heat
the oven to Gas Mark 1 /
275°F / 140°C.
2.
First of
all, soak the borlotti
beans. Wash them under cold, running water and discard any broken ones or
alien bits. Then, if it is convenient, soak them overnight in 4 pints / 2.25
litres cold water. If you need them today and haven’t the time for this, simply
bring them up to the boil (using the same quantity of water), boil for 10
minutes and leave them to soak for two hours.
3.
Drain the beans, reserving
the soaking liquid.
4.
Heat the oil in the casserole
over a medium heat and carefully brown the sausages,
turning them occasionally so they are a nice golden brown colour on all sides –
this will take 8 – 10 minutes.
5.
After
that, remove them to a plate, then add the pancetta to the
frying pan, turn up the heat and toss it around for about 5 minutes, or until
it’s golden brown at the edges.
6.
Now, using
a draining spoon, transfer it to join the sausages, then
turn the heat down again to medium and soften the onion for 10 minutes in
the juices left in the pan, stirring it around from time to time.
7.
Then add
the garlic and cook
for another minute.
8.
Next, add
the drained beans
to the casserole, along with the herbs, then the sausages and pancetta, tucking
them in among the beans,
and finally, add the wine and 10 floz / 275ml of the
reserved water.
9.
Season
with salt and freshly
milled black pepper
and bring everything up to simmering point on the hob.
10.
Now put a
lid on the casserole and transfer it to the centre shelf of the oven to cook
slowly for 3 hours.
11.
Serve
garnished with the sprigs of rosemary and sage.
12.
I don’t
think this needs any other vegetable but a green salad, and some Italian cheese
would be nice to follow.
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