Venison Sausage and White Beans
This is a stick-to-your ribs side dish that can also be served as a main course. If I’m short on time, I’ll make a quick version of this recipe with 4 15-ounce cans of cooked beans instead of dried. Any venison sausage will do, but my sausage of choice for this dish is Italian-seasoned.
Venison Sausage and White Beans
Servings: 8 side dish servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried cannellini beans
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 quarts chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups onion diced
- 2 cups celery diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 black peppercorns crushed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds venison sausage diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15- ounce can plum tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup Italian parsley chopped
Instructions
- Place beans in a large pot, and cover with 2 1/2 quarts water. Bring water to a boil, and cook beans, uncovered, over moderate heat 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and soak beans for 1 hour.
- Drain the beans, and return to pot. Add olive oil, chicken broth, garlic, onion, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for two hours or until beans are tender.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add venison sausage, and brown evenly. Add 1 cup of the liquid from the beans, garlic, plum tomatoes, tomato puree, vinegar and sugar. Heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Drain beans in a colander, and spoon a serving portion into bowls or serve family-style in a large bowl. Spoon sausage mixture over beans, and top with parsley.