Large Italian pork sausages called cotechino are typically presented to commemorate the New Year. After being gradually cooked in a pot of lentils until finished, its thick casing is cut open all over with a knife. The cooked sausage is then cut into round coins, fried crisp in a skillet, and served as a garnish for the lentils or beans.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs |
| Total Time: | 9 hrs 35 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried cranberry beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- water as needed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 pound Cotechino sausage
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cranberry beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in onion. Cook, stirring, until onions are softened and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cranberry beans, chicken broth, water, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and thyme.
- Pierce Cotechino all over with the tip of a knife, then place in broth and beans mixture. Bring to a simmer, skimming any foam that accumulates. Reduce heat to low; cook until beans are tender, 1 hour. Transfer Cotechino to a cutting board; discard string and casing, then slice into 1/4-inch rounds.
- Stir Swiss chard into bean and broth mixture. Simmer until chard is wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the Cotechino rounds until crisped and browned, about 1 minute per side. Ladle beans into bowls and top with Cotechino rounds.
- Cranberry beans are also known as Borlotti beans. If you are unable to find them, you can substitute white beans, Great Northern or Navy beans. Green or black lentils would be good, too.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 497 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 53 g |
| Cholesterol | 30 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 20 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Sodium | 745 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Thank you Chef John. I was looking for something different to do with my black eye peas on New Years day and found this recipe. I added 1/2 package of 15 bean soup and the rest of the black eye peas. It was delicious. It was a hit.. who knew! Thanks again. Oh, I found the cotechino at a little gourmet spice in Oklahoma City. It was wrapped the same way.