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Okay, so this isn't the lowest-cal soup that's come out of the kitchen this winter.
What, are you on a diet or something?
Escarole, sausage and beans are on this earth to give us pleasure. And everybody knows that they do this best when they are together.
That's a fact, by the way. If you don't believe me, just look it up.
So if you're still in winter soup-making mode give this one a try. In Maine we'll be in soup-making mode until around mid-June, so there's still plenty of time to let me know how things turn out.
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Finely dice two carrots, two celery stalks, one onion, five or six garlic cloves and a little hot pepper and saute in olive oil until softened but not browned.
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Then stir in a pound of sweet Italian sausage meat.
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After just a few minutes the sausage meat should be cooked enough.
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At this point add 12 cups of water, one pound of thoroughly rinsed dried beans (I used a small white varietal but most any bean will do) and a piece of cheese rind (Parmigiano-Reggiano of course!). Cover the pot and allow to simmer at medium-high heat.
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Cooking beans is an inexact science and so at this stage you're kind of on your own. I did not presoak these beans (if I had they would have cooked faster), so at the one-hour mark I tested them to find they were around 45 minutes away from being done.
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After another 15 minutes or so I added a full head of cleaned and chopped escarole, as well as salt and pepper to taste, then returned the cover to the pot and let things simmer for another half hour.
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The total cooking time of your soup may vary but this one simmered for a little under two hours.
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At which point you can have at it right away or let the soup sit in the fridge overnight and eat it the following day.
Since this batch will feed 4-6 people My Associate and I chose to do both.