Ingredients:

1 pound bag of dried Great Northern Beans, sorted, rinsed, and pre-soaked per package directions
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks with leaves, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, pressed
4 cups chicken stock, unsalted
1 cup water
1/2 t fresh cracked black pepper
1 t dried rosemary
2 bay leaves, torn in half
2 Parmesan or Romano rinds
12 oz chicken apple sausage, cut in half lengthwise and then cut across to form bite sized pieces
2 twists of the salt grinder
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Spoon Mage™ Note:

It’s easy to make this dish vegetarian. Use vegetable stock, add a bit of smoky paprika, and omit the sausage.

Directions:

After the beans have soaked, drain the water. Rinsing is optional. Let the beans sit in the colander while you do the next step.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the onion turns clear and the aroma takes on a definitive mingling of the three veggies.

Add the garlic and stir for a couple minutes. Add the beans, stock, and water. Add the pepper, rosemary, and bay leaves.

Cover and simmer on very low heat for an hour, or until the beans finish softening.

Add the two rinds, sausage, and the pinch of salt. Continue to simmer another hour. Taste and adjust the seasonings to suit you. Stir in the parsley.

At this point the stew may remain on a very low simmer on the oven, temperature set to warm until dinner. Or place the stew in the refrigerator and reheat it on the stove or in the oven later.

Before serving, remove the rinds and the bay leaves. This stew is perfect with crusty bread and a nice salad. Enjoy