Friday, August 8, 2008

Salsicce con Fagioli all'Uccelletto

When I was at the library last Friday, I also picked up several nice
books from the discard shelf. One of them was a copy of Savoring
Tuscany by Williams-Sonoma, in perfect condition for $2.00! I made
this recipe, from the book, last night. It's a tasty Italian version of our
old American standby, beans and hot dogs.

Salsicce con Fagioli all'Uccelletto

(fresh pork sausages with cannellini in herbed tomato sauce)

2 cups dried cannellini beans (I used navy)
4 cloves garlic
8 fresh sage leaves
1 tomato, cored and halved
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
8 fresh Italian sausages
2 cups crushed canned plum tomatoes with juice
pinch of ground red chile

Rinse beans well and place in a bowl. Add water to cover and let
soak overnight.

The next day, drain the beans and place in a large saucepan with
7 cups water. Bring to a boil and add 2 of the garlic cloves, 4 of the
sage leaves, and the tomato halves to the saucepan. Reduce the
heat to a very gentle simmer and cook, uncovered until the beans
are tender, 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Season with salt, then drain the beans.
Discard the garlic, sage and tomato.

Crush the remaining 2 garlic cloves. In a large frying pan, warm
together the olive oil, the remaining sages leaves, and the 2
crushed garlic cloves. Add the sausages and brown lightly on
all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the beans, crushed tomatoes
and ground chile. Simmer, uncovered, stirring gently every so
often, for about 15 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and
pepper.

Spoon the beans onto a warmed oval platter, or individual dishes
and lay the sausages on top and serve.
~~photo by Willow~~

30 comments:

  1. Oh Yum! That is just the thing for this cold rainy South Australian weekend.

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  2. Willow dear Willow have you seen Jusy Dench in 'The Blond Bombshells'? Couldn't find it on your list, just thought I'd menyion it.
    Back to basics and beans. You can be much more spontaneous with beans by bringing them to a rapid boil fro 2 min., let stand 2 hrs., then simmer 'till tender or the skin curls when you blow on it. They cook quite quickly this way.

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  3. I love it that you're including recipes now! Such a nice touch! Thank you.

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  4. Arija, I actually do use the shortcut, which is much faster and easier than the overnight method, but copied the recipe just how it appears in the book.

    Pamela, I've been posting recipes periodically from the start and thought I would add a few of my old recipe posts to the sidebar.

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  5. That looks deliziosa! :) (like my Italian?)

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  6. Oooo, yes, daaaaling...I'm very impressed! :)

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  7. Hello there, I came upon your blog via aims. It's wonderful and I'm so glad I've found you. I, too, love the arts. My father was the timpani and percussionist at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for 25 years so I saw many operas and ballets from a very young age.

    My brother is an archaeologist so I was very interested in the chariot. Amazing. What a find.

    I trid to find your guest book, but wasn't able to do so. I'll pop in daily now I've found you,

    Gina
    x

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  8. Yum Yum....that looks good...maybe a bit of a heart clogger...but good nontheless. :-) Have a good weekend.

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  9. Aaah, I just left a comment but someone ate it!

    I've stumbled upon your wondrous blog through aims. What a star she is. So glad I've found you. I love the arts. My dear Dad was principal percussion at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for 25 years and I saw many operas and ballets from being a small child. Wonderful memories.

    My brother is an archaeologist so I was fascinated by the chariot find. How amazing.

    Will be visiting often now.

    Love
    Gina

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  10. Gina! Hello and welcome! It's so nice to meet people of like interests. That is so intriguing that your father played at the Royal Opera House for all those years. I also love opera and my daughter is an opera singer. And you have archeology connections, too! I'll be looking forward to more of your visits.

    My guest book is all the way down at the bottom of this page.

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  11. Strider, this is actually pretty lean, especially if you use turkey sausages!

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  12. Oh my, does that look delicious! It's slightly cooler in T.O. today and my mind is turning to fall so this was the perfect recipe to come upon tonight... thank you, Willow! Yum! Yum!

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  13. Suza, your mind is turning to fall eh? Hmmmm. :):) Actually, I love, love, love the fall and am really ready for those cool autumn breezes and colorful leaves. I have a fall birthday, too, which makes it extra special.

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  14. Oooh that looks scrummy, I may have to get some Italian sausages and do some cooking

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  15. Bonjour, c'est ma première visite !

    Ce plat semble très bon !

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  16. Bangers & Mash is a favourite of my hubbies served with a rich cranberry onion gravy. I think I will try this for a change, I have lots of fresh sage in my herb garden , and need more recipes to use it in. Thanks Willow for sharing.

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  17. Oh oh oh.... one of my favourite dishes ever!

    Can't believe that book was in the discard pile for $2 - well done!

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  18. Willow...Now how did I miss this post??
    You can't hardly go wrong with Williams-Sonoma...sounds like something we might enjoy along with some good Italian bread...Very nice idea your recipes on the sidebar..

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  19. in the immortal words of Joan Collins 'a little of what you fancy does you good'
    ...I'm waiting here, holding my plate...

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  20. This looks yummy but something that my doctor would steer me away from - the guy has no sense of adventure. All things in moderation I keep telling him. Have a great weekend!

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  21. David, like I told Strider, this recipe would be perfectly yummy made with turkey Italian sausages! ;)

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  22. DeeDee, yes, I served it with some nice Italian bread. It's perfect! :)

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  23. Yummm!!!...The Crisp fall-like mornings this week put me in the mood for comfort foods...This looks so good and I can almost taste it with a loaf of crusty french bread and a glass of red...Another great recipe to copy to my file...Williams and Sonoma cookbooks are wonderful!

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  24. so easy and yum--those are always the best foods. Bellissimo!

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  25. The library discard books always astonish me...they always seem to be fantastic book and I wonder why they are being tossed...hmmm...

    Well...lucky you!

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  26. Yum yum yum yum yum - can I come over to your house. They both look wonderful but I definitely have to try those waffles!

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  27. I am salivating. The last meal I ate was this morning at a Holiday Inn Express along Interstate 10 and it was a muffin and a glass of orange juice!

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  28. Oh dear Willow, it obviously wasn't eaten after all and I'm duplicated! Thanks for your note. Much appreciated.

    That recipe looks fabulous. Jim does the cooking so I'll save it for him.

    I, too, love the Autumn and have a birthday in September and the weather's usually gorgeous. Fingers crossed, as we've had an awful Summer. Wet, wet, wet!

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  29. That would make an excellent breakfast Willow.

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  30. RAD, I don't know why we Americans don't eat beans for breakfast. I'm sure we did back in the wild West. They would be good!

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)