Matt's Pork and Beans!

One of the best meals I had in a restaurant this year was a special dinner that Matt Molina Cooked. He served Pork and Sausage over wonderful beans. It was delicious. The recipe is in his and Nancy Silverton's cookbook: Twist of the Wrist. We made it and LOVED it! The Cooked Fabada Beans are the best! Look for them. We pan cooked Pork Chops with lots of Fennel Rub. Matt used Pork Loin.

Italian Sausage with Giant White Beans, Radlcchlo, and Roasted Onions

A Twist of the Wrist

Nancy Silverton

¼     cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed

4      sweet or spicy Italian pork sausages (preferably flavored with fennel; about 3/4 pound)

16    large whole radicchio leaves 16 small jarred onions, quartered (about 4 ounces or 1 cup)

2      large garlic cloves, grated or minced (about 2 teaspoons)

Kosher salt

2      15-ounce cans giant white beans, rinsed and drained (about 3 cups)

1      cup vegetable or chicken broth

1      heaping tablespoon finely

chopped fresh oregano leaves

High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

If you’ve made another recipe that called for Garlic Mayonnaise and happen to have some left over In the refrigerator, a dollop of It on the plate makes a delicious addition to this hearty, rustic dish.

45 MINUTES

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oil's almost smoking (you will begin to smell the oil at that point). Add the sausages and cook, turning them often for even browning, for about 10 through. Move the sausages to the side of the skillet to continue to cook while you sear the radicchio. Put a couple of radicchio leaves in the skillet in a single layer and cook them for about 45 seconds on each side, until they’re seared and wilted slightly. Remove the leaves to a plate and cook the remaining leaves in the same way, adding a bit more oil to the pan if it’s dry. While you sear the radicchio leaves, continue to cook and turn the sausages for another 10 minutes, until they're cooked through, and transfer them to a plate when they’re done.

Add a bit more olive oil if necessary to coat the skillet. Add the onions, garlic, and a pinch of kosher salt and sauté for about 1-1/2 minutes, until the onions are soft and the garlic is soft and fragrant, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't brown. Reduce the heat to medium, add the beans and broth, and simmer them until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano and season with kosher salt.

Arrange four radicchio leaves in a clover pattern on each of four plates. Spoon the beans over the radicchio, dividing them evenly, and drizzle them with the sauce left in the skillet. Cut the sausages in half at an angle and place the two pieces of each sausage side by side on each plate. Top with a dollop of Garlic Mayonnaise, if you are using it, and drizzle the sausage and beans with the high-quality olive oil.