Beans with Greens and Sausages
A comforting, rustic pan of sausages simmered in tomato sauce with borlotti beans and wilted greens, inspired by a traditional Roman trattoria.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4-8 pork or vegetarian sausages
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 sprig sage
- 1 x 400g tin peeled plum tomatoes, crushed or passed through a food mill
- 1 tsp tomato concentrate
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- salt and black pepper
- 2 x 400g tins borlotti or cannellini beans, drained well
- 250g greens (spinach or endive)
Instructions
- In a heavy-based pan or casserole dish on medium-low heat, warm 2 tbsp of the oil, then add the sausages and turn regularly until lightly browned on all sides. Remove the sausages from the pan — this is just a preliminary browning.
- Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil to the hot pork fat, then stir in the onion. Once soft, add the sage, then after a minute or two the tinned tomatoes, tomato concentrate, chilli flakes and a pinch of salt.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, pressing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon to break up any lumps.
- Add a glass of warm water, return the sausages to the pan, and simmer, turning regularly, for 20-25 minutes, adding more water if the sauce thickens too much.
- Once the sausages are cooked through, stir in the drained beans and simmer for a further 5 minutes, then add the greens and stir until wilted completely into the sauce.
- Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve.