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My very easy to please husband objected to soup this week.  I can’t imagine why he is sick of soup - we have only eaten soup several times a week for the last three months.  Determined to have a bean meal and keep marital harmony, I needed a non-soup recipe.  Looking through the Heirloom Beans cookbook, this dish caught my eye for a couple reasons - one being that it has sausage, which I knew Matt would like.  It also reminded me of our 1-1/2 year old niece who learned how to say ’stachio around the holidays.  We often find ourselves using the same vocabulary for foods that our nieces and nephews do.  Another example is bluebuddies (blueberries), and raspbuddies (raspberries), named by another niece when she was about 2-1/2.

Back to the food…  The dish is actually fairly simple, despite the long ingredient list.  However, it does require having a well-stocked set of spices.  I did do some substitution for a few ingredients that I didn’t have on hand, but there are a few that I would consider unsubstitutable (is that a word?) - paprika, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds.  The paprika gives it smoky taste.  Depending on whether you use Hungarian or Spanish paprika and then what type of paprika (Hungarian has 5-6 different kinds and Spanish has 3 different kinds), the dish could taste very different.  I used Spanish dulce or “sweet” paprika.  If you use Hungarian paprika, you may want to add it to taste to make sure the dish doesn’t get too spicy.  Besides the heavenly smell from toasting the cumin and coriander, they add freshness to the dish that balances out the smoky paprika.

I had the leftovers for lunch and it was even better after letting the flavors meld a bit.

This is also our Dark Days Challenge meal of the week.  All of the ingredients are local, except of the spices, pistachios, and preserved lemons.  All vegetables were purchased from local farmers through Eugene Local Foods.  The parsley came from our backyard, and the honey came from GloryBee Foods.  The other ingredient sources are identified in the ingredient list below.

Beans with lamb sausage, pistachios, and honey, adapted from Heirloom Beans

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1/2 pound white beans (we used Tarbais from Ayers Creek Farm - you could also use cannelini or flageolet)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb lamb sausage (the recipe calls for merguez sausage, but we used sausage from Cattail Creek)

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground

1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

2 tsp paprika

salt

1 bunch kale (or chard or collard greens), tough stems removed and chopped

1 cup chopped parsley (cilantro would also be an interesting substitution)

1/2 preserved lemon, remove flesh and chop it (you could also substitue 2 tsp lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice)

2 tsp harissa paste (click here for recipe that I used, you can also buy it already made in grocery stores that carry Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup chopped pistachios

3 tsp honey

Soak the beans overnight.  Add the beans and their soaking water to a pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Meanwhile heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.  Add the sausage, turning frequently, and cook 7-8 minutes until browned on all sides.  Remove to paper towels and refrigerate until just before serving.

Pour off excess fat from the skillet and put it back over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, and garlic sauteeing until golden brown, about 6 minutes.  While sauteeing try to loosen brown bits from bottom.  If necessary, add a little water.

Add the vegetables, coriander, cumin, and paprika to the beans.  Partially cover and simmer until beans soften.  Season with salt.  When beans are done, rewarm sausages over low heat.  Add kale (or other cooking green) to the beans and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in parsley, preserved lemon, and harissa paste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with a sprinkling of pistachios and a drizzle of honey over the top.

For more information and recipes on beans on this site, click here.

Tags: beans, Dark Days Challenge, lamb