Luscious cannellini beans are one of my favorites, whether plain, drizzled with olive oil, or baked with melting garlic and rosemary. They can be cooked in a wood-fired oven, in embers in the fireplace, or over indirect heat on a grill. Cook the sausage at the same time. This recipe is extraordinarily easy to make, letting the clay pot and the fire be the star flavor contributors, along with the sausage.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6 as a main course
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare a medium-hot fire (350°F) in a wood-fired oven or grill prepared for cooking with indirect heat.
Step 2
Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large clay bean pot. Add enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Cover and place in the oven or over indirect heat on a grill and bring to a boil.
Step 3
Cut the sausage in half lengthwise and place cut side down in a clay baker. Roast in the oven until the fat is rendered; drain. Or, cook the sausage over direct heat on the grill. Cut the cooked sausage into bite-sized chunks or crumble. Set aside.
Step 4
Add the salt to the beans and move to a cooler area of the oven or grill to gently simmer until the beans begin to soften, about 1 hour. Add more water if you can see the beans above the reduced liquid. Add the garlic, rosemary, and the 1/4 cup olive oil. Cover and continue to cook, stirring a few times, until the beans are tender and the garlic is soft. Add more water if all of the liquid has evaporated. The beans should be slightly saucy. Remove the rosemary and transfer 1 cup of the beans to a food processor to puree until smooth. Stir the pureed beans into the whole beans. Add the sausage and continue to cook until very tender.
Step 5
Meanwhile, bring the balsamic to a simmer in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Cook until reduced by about two-thirds, 20 to 25 minutes.
Step 6
Remove the beans from the heat and generously drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm, drizzled with the reduced balsamic, if you like.
