Bean and Sausage Stew

Now that evenings are getting nippy, I'm ready to say good-bye to summer's lighter fare and hello to hearty, soul warming dishes of autumn. With that in mind, my friend Anna and I popped by Oyama Sausage on the weekend to pick up a few different sausages for a stew.

We got some very timely advice when we told the owner what our plans were. He recommended a stew of white kidney beans, tomatoes and sausages. It sounded irresistible so we bought some smoked pork chops, kolbassa and a dry beef sausage mildly flavoured with cumin (I can't remember the name).

To make our stew, I browned some onion and garlic then deglazed the pan with white wine. I threw in some diced carrots, tomatoes and a can of drained white kidney beans. After the mixture began to simmer, I added 2 sprigs of rosemary and the chopped meats. I then simmered it very gently for a while. Just before serving, I stirred in some cavolo nero and seasoned with pepper.

Welcome to Autumn!