White beans and pork sausage with pistachio lemon crumble

White beans and pork sausage with pistachio lemon crumble 


From Food & Wine Magazine 


Active 30 minutes.  Total 1 hour 5 minutes.

Serves 4


1 large lemon

1/2 cup plus 1 TBL evoo, divided

1 medium red onion, cut through core into 8 wedges

1 small fennel bulb, cut into 4 wedges

4 (4 oz bratwursts, pricked all over using tip of a small knife

3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 1 TBL)

1 medium Chile de arbor, broken into small pieces

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/2 cup finely chopped Sicilian pistachios

1/2 cup finely chopped mixed tender herbs (such as flat-leaf parsley, chives and mint)


  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Using a vegetable peeler, remove wide (3 -x 1/2 inch) strips of peel from half of lemon; set aside 3 TBL juice in a small bowl.  Reserve any extra juice for another use.
  2. Heat 3 TBL oil in a deep, large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and fennel, cut sides down.  Cook, undisturbed, until cut sides are browned, 5 - 8 minutes; transfer vegetables, browned sides up, to a plate.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add bratwursts and 1 TBL oil; cook until browned on 2 sides, 2 - 3 minutes per side. Transfer sausages to a fresh plate - this will make it easier to arrange for the final bake.
  3. Add lemon peel strips, garlic, and Chile to skillet.  Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add wine to skillet, loosen fond with wooden spoon.  Bring wine mixture to a simmer over medium; simmer, stirring occasionally, until wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard lemon peel before serving.
  4. Stir in beans, broth, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring occasionally.  Smash about one-third of beans, using back of a spoon, until bean mixture is somewhat creamy, but still loose and broth, 3 - 5 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain simmer.  Stir in 1 TBL lemon juice and 1 TBL oil.  Remove from heat. Nestle sausage mixture into skillet.
  5. Bake in a preheated oven until bean mixture is bubbly and a thermometer inserted in center of sausage, registers 160 degrees, 12 - 15 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, stir together pistachios, herbs, remaining 1/4 cup oil, remaining 2 TBL lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in small bowl.
  7. Remove skillet from oven; let cool 5 minutes.  Spoon half of pistachio mixture over over bean mixture; reserve remaining pistachio mixture to serve alongside.  I was fresh out of pistachios so used walnuts as a substitute.

Not the prettiest dish to photograph.  Tastes delicious though!


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