Panecotte...sorta

I don't think I have ever made this the same way twice. I have no Italian blood (that I am aware of) so this is not by any means an authentic recipe. Traditionally panecotte is escarole, white beans, pancetta, bread and cheese. Today's version has some hot Italian sausage, fresselles (store bought) and I added a few other veggies for added flavor. Note: escarole is very sandy, I chop it into 2" pieces and soak in cold water. Drain and repeat until the water at the bottom of the bowl is clean. 

Panecotte 

1-2 bunches of escarole cleaned and chopped 

1 onion diced

2 small carrots diced 

2 celery stalks diced 

4 cloves garlic chopped 

Olive oil

2 links Italian sausage, casing removed

Crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper

Chicken stock

1 big can of white beans

Splash of dry white wine 

1/4 cup Grated cheese

2 ounces Mozzarella sliced or shredded

Half bag of fresselles 

In a large frying pan, sauté sausage in a bit of oil until browned. Remove sausage and set aside.  Add diced vegetables and garlic and sauté until they are cooked down and brown. 

When they are done pour a splash of dry white wine to deglaze the pan. 

Now put that bottle in the fridge because you are going to drink that with dinner. 

Next, add the sausage back in (omitting any grease that drained from it), and it's time to cook the escarole. I put it in wet because I feel it aids in the process, but be careful of splattering. Season with salt and both peppers and toss into mixture until it is completely wilted. 

Add drained beans and a cup or so of stock and continue to cook on medium for a few minutes. Preheat your oven to 350. Transfer everything to a baking pan. Crush up fresselles in your hand and press into the top. They will soak up a lot of liquid so make sure you have enough in the pan 

Next add some sliced or shredded mozzarella and sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese over the entire pan. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes until brown and bubbly. 

Today we also have mystery dessert from the freezer

In the fall I made a bunch of tarts using jams that I canned over the summer. Simple graham cracker crust and crumble topping with oats and brown sugar, only I didn't label them. 

This might be peach. Or apricot... Or peach apricot.