Kale And White-Bean Stew

I had some lovely kale from Front Porch Pickings, and I really wanted to make the kale and cheese tamales again.  They were so good, but to have a recipe for the blog, I decided to try this kale and white bean stew.  While I thought it was tasty, I think it needed a good dose of hot sauce. It smelled heavenly but didn't quite deliver on what that smell promised, but still pretty tasty.  It was a good, hearty bowl of soup and the kale was the star for me.  I did like the tamales better so next time I will make those instead:).


Kale And White-Bean Stew

2 T  cooking oil
1/4 lb mild or hot sausages casings removed
2    onions,chopped
3 ea garlic,minced
1 lb kale,tough stems removed, leaves washed well
3 1/3 c  canned diced tomatoes with their juice (two 15-ounce cans)
1 1/4 t  salt
1/2 t  fresh-ground black pepper
4 c  drained and rinsed canned  cannellini beans (two 19-ounce cans)
1. In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat.
Add the sausage and cook, breaking the meat up with a fork, until the
it loses its pink color, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon
of oil to the pan and then stir in the onions. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until the onions start to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and kale to the pan and cook, stirring, until the
kale wilts, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper;
bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the kale
is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir the beans into the stew and cook until warmed through, about 5
minutes. If you like, mash some of the beans with a fork to thicken the
sauce.
Notes Shred kale leaves as fine as possible when making quick soups and
stews, so that each bite will include tender greens instead of a chewy
mouthful.