Hearty Tuscan Bean Stew with Sausage and Cabbage

Name: Hearty Tuscan Bean Stew with Sausage and Cabbage
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: , Table salt; 1 pound, dried cannellini beans (about 2 cups), rinsed and picked over; 1 tablespoon, extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 1 1/2 pounds, sweet Italian sausage, casings removed; 1 large, onion, chopped medium (about 1 1/2 cups); 2 medium, celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup); 2 medium, carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup); 8 medium, garlic cloves, peeled and crushed; 4 cups, low-sodium chicken broth; 3 cups, water; 2 , bay leaves; 1/2 medium head, savoy cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 , (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes drained and rinsed; 1 sprig, fresh oregano leaves; , Ground black pepper; 8 slices, country white bread, each 1 1/4 inches thick, broiled until golden brown on both sides and rubbed with garlic clove (optional)

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated March/April 2008, America's Test Kitchen TV

SERVES8

TIME2½ hours, plus 8 hours soaking

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

We were determined to avoid tough, exploded beans in our Tuscan bean stew recipe, so we soaked the beans overnight in salted water, which softened the skins. Then we experimented with cooking times and temperatures, discovering that gently ...

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