sausage and bean casserole / tuscan bean soup

Delightfully rich Italian style casserole, served
with garlic bread -- and a delicious soup for next day

for 4
for the casserole:

• 150ml/5fl oz olive oil
• 1 large onion (or medium and small shallots)
• 8 good size meaty pork sausages
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary and parsley
• 2 cloves garlic pressed
• 1 tsp finely chopped dried chilli
• 4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 2 x 400g cans borlotti and/or cannelloni beans 
• 400g (after shelling) broad beans (if in season - if not, another can of beans)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 500 ml mushroom stock (or veg stock)
• 20 cherry tomatoes, halved

for the garlic bread:
(this is all it needs for an accompaniment)

• baguette halved and cut into 75mm section
• olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic

1. Method
2. for the casserole:

• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil until hot. 
• Chop then shallow fry half the onion in a casserole pan, until soft.
• Add the sausages and fry until slightly browned. 
• Add rosemary, garlic and the chilli and fry for a further minute.   
• Add the carrots, celery and broad beans (if used) and fry for a further three minutes.  
• Add the stock, cover with a lid and leave to simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid, remove the sausages and cut into three pieces.
• Place the sausages back in the casserole with the cherry tomatoes and the rest of the onion or shallots, taste and season with salt and pepper.  
• Carry on cooking without the lid on a low heat for another 10 minutes allowing the sauce to thicken.
  
• Drain the canned beans, keeping the liquid, and add to the casserole. Continue to cook for a further 10 minutes. 
• Add some of the retained bean liquid if it seems too thick.  

 for the garlic bread:  

• Press the garlic and mix with the olive oil. 
• Spread this mixture over the cut face of the bread.   
• Brush the crust side with extra virgin olive oil and place on a hot griddle, turning until both sides are crusty. This will take about 6 minutes or so.

SOUP

If you have some of the casserole left over with a fair amount of liquid, beans and veg, you can use this as the soffrito for a tuscan bean and ham soup.

Just add to the pan:

• 1 medium onion, chopped.
• 100g shredded ham, preferably thick pieces (or lardons, fried in a dry pan until brown)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 4 more tbsp parsley and rosemary
• 1 litre mushroom stock (or veg or beef stock)
• season to taste
• you could add more beans and veg if you think it needs it

Bring to the boil then simmer with the lid on for about 15 minutes.