white bean, sausage and kale stew

 

my normal work schedule is 7 – 4, but lately i have been working more like 6 – 5 to try to catch up. my brain is melting a touch, i confesss. the learning curve is steep, and while i am adjusting, it takes time. most days, i am behind. but yesterday, i was realllllly done at eight hours.

i wanted to cook.

for me, cooking readjusts my head to where it feels straight. it’s what i needed to refresh my spirit. i recently read a tempting recipe for some stew that called for a slow-cooker, and i got really excited because i love using my slow-cooker and coming home to a wonderful aroma of a hot meal, waiting for me! don’t you? but, the recipe said to slow-cook for 2.5 hours. and that just isn’t going to fly when i am away from home for so long during the work week. 8 hours, sure, but 2.5, really?

so i made my own stew. slow-and-low, but not too slow. just long enough to bake a loaf of the best bread ever (if you’ve been reading food blogs for any length of time, i dont need to tell you about Jim Lahey’s no-knead bread method…. but, if you haven’t tried it before, you really should. making professional-looking and totally delicious bread is fail-proof and absolutely a sinch!! here is the simple recipe to guide you — try it!).

to be honest, this stew isn’t all that pretty. but who cares, winter food has never been about good looks. we’ll leave that for Spring and Summer eats. the truth is that this stew feeds your soul, and your eyes will forget their lustfulness. i promise. the kale shares its earthiness through the body of the stew, and each bite is hearty with beans and sausage. i love the fennel seeds here that really make the tomato flavors sing. i also had a little fresh basil and parsley on hand, so i added some for a wonderful brightness. but this slow-cooked stew will really work beautifully on dried herbs, which are so much more budget-friendly, am i right?

if the holidays have left you frazzled, or if you need something healthful to fill your family up, or maybe you invited dinner guests who are notoriously late and you’re unsure if you will have 10 minutes or two hours to keep the food warm — here is a perfect and simple dinner. let it simmer away for a while on the stove, unattended. or eat it just after it’s become hot– it’s delicious either way. don’t let cooking rule your schedule. make it work for you, yes?

(what you might expect to see in the coming recipes here at DFW are recipes more on the healthful side, with budget-conciousness at the forefront. a lower cheese-intake and a lower income is what 2013 is bringing us so far, and we hope you’ll enjoy experiencing some of our realities with us!)

–oh, and i’ll be honest, this stew makes fantastic leftovers. if it becomes too thick when reheated for lunch the next day, a little water helps — the flavors havent gone, just some of their moisture, so add a splash and off you go, making your coworkers envious as they smell your lunch.

enjoy.

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 lb chicken spicy Italian sausage, bulk, or casings removed
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large cans (28-ounce) whole tomatoes, juices of one can drained and reserved for another use
• 2 cans (14-ounce) white beans, such as canellini
• 1 teaspoon dried fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 gigantic bunch kale, washed and stems removed, chopped
• fresh herbs, such as parsley and basil, chopped (optional)

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium and brown the sausage, breaking into crumbly pieces with a spoon as it cooks.

once browned, add diced onion and minced garlic and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. add the can of drained tomatoes and the can of tomatoes with their juice, and carefully (they might squirt at you!) mash the tomatoes into chunks with a potato masher, or your instrument of choice, until broken into bite-sized pieces. then add the white beans, fennel and oregano. stir everything occasionlly while this bubbles for at least 20 minutes, but an hour if you have time.

as canned tomatoes are usually salted, i found this stew did not require seasoning, but make your own salting determination after taste-testing.

about 15 minutes before serving, add the chopped kale and stir and simmer. remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs, if using. you could top each bowl of stew with grated parmesan, if you like, but i found it hearty and rich enough without it! yes, this stew had me saying “no” to cheese. now that’s something.

penne and the jets

the other night, we went to a completely magical place for dinner.

my Uncle Brad and Aunt Jane — wonderful, warm and often-smiling folks — occupy and manage a camp and retreat facility in the woods about an hour from us, off a logging road called Socialist Valley. they live in a cabin that has been part of the grounds for just about ever. since at least a million years ago when my great-grandma Martha cooked and lived at the dining hall herself. growing up as a home schooler, it was difficult for me to meet kids my own age and make friends, so i became obsessed with attending summer church camp on this campus. it was the highlight of every year for me, and i adored the swimming, canoeing, night games, hiking, chapel services and lifelong friendships i made there. and when Brad and Jane took over management, the food from the dining hall started being fantastic! previously, there had been french toast too tough to cut through with a knife and fork (and which quickly became a game of french-toast frisbee), spaghetti you could stand a fork in, and squares of sweaty, greenish scrambled eggs cut from a pan. however, Jane cooks roast beef and creamy mashed potatoes, real eggs for breakfast, burgers from the outdoor grills, and puts healthful twists on dishes that are so tasty — kids don’t even know how nutritiously they’re eating.

i love summer camp!!

camp is a very different place in the dark and the cold, like when we visited last week, than in the lively summers. but the cabin is such a warm and welcoming place despite the dark… glowing the only lights in the night for what seems like miles. Jane fills their log cabin with candles and rustic touches, autumn leaves and oranges and reds, and cooks wonderful meals for us. i love visiting the Cabin! our winter evenings there are usually filled with board games, wine and laughter. she made us Breakfast for Dinner on our visit, a bread pudding with roasted asparagus, which was wonderful, and plenty of coffee. afterwards we bundled up and hiked around the campus with flashlights and rubber boots — a special Night Tour for my husband, who never got to attend to this camp. we got to see some updates to the campus and the buildings, but the smell of the trees and the sounds of the creek had me certain that i was 14 years old, huddled against the evening cold and dark, searching for my friends during Capture the Flag. camp counselors with Super Soakers were surely around the next corner!

this super-simple pasta would fit right in with Brad and Jane’s cozy cabin. a creamy pumpkin sauce coats tender penne noodles with a sprinkle of crisp rosemary… pumpkin makes a wonderful savory dish, despite how often it is lauded for pies, cakes and cookies. this has been one of my FAVorite Autumn dishes ever since i saw it in Martha’s magazine years ago. the spikes of flavor from the red wine vinegar and red pepper flakes bring a liveliness to this creamy, comforting dish. make it with your own pureed squash if pumpkin is not your thing. and pretend you’re in a cabin in the woods, playing Backgammon with Brad and Jane, deer and elk as your neighbors, and an industrial freezer hum the only sound for miles.

penne in creamy pumpkin sauce

serves 4

adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food

 

the advantage of frying the rosemary in the olive oil is two-fold: it creates a crispy garnish, and also infuses the oil as a tasty base for the sauce. 

• 12 ounces penne, or other short pasta
• coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (substitute a little less if using dried)
• 1 15 oz pure pumpkin puree
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

salt a large pot of water and bring to a boil. cook pasta according to package directions. drain, reserving 2 cups pasta water, and set aside.

in same pot, heat olive oil over medium. when hot, fry rosemary until just beginning to brown (60 – 90 seconds). transfer rosemary to a paper towel to drain, using a slotted spoon.

carefully add remaining ingredients, being cautious of the hot oil that could cause splattering. add 1 cup reserve pasta water and stir until everything is heated and smooth, 2 – 3 minutes.

add pasta to sauce and thin with more pasta water if necessary to create a smooth sauce. season generously with salt. serve sprinkled with crisp rosemary. enjoy!