Fancy Franks & Beans

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried navy or Great Northern beans
• 4 T olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth or stock
• 4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 C ketchup
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 3 T white wine vinegar
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 2 T chopped basil
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1 t paprika
• salt & pepper
• 1 lb Kielbasa or your favorite sausage

Instructions

1. The night before your meal, soak the beans overnight with a bit of yogurt. (See this article on soaking beans.)
2. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot and cook the garlic, onion, and celery over low heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the beans and discard the soaking liquid.
3. Add the beans and stock to the onion mix and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer until beans are almost tender, about 45 minutes. Check periodically to make sure the stock doesn't run out; if the beans get dry add more stock or water.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, basil, cumin, and paprika. Simmer over moderately low heat, uncovered, until beans are tender and sauce is thick, about 30 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Toward the end of the simmer in step 4, heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet. Sear each side of the Kielbasa in a bit of fat on a hot pan and warm them through (they are already cooked.)
6. Ladle some beans in a bowl, chop the Kielbasa into coins, and add the coins to the bowl on top of the beans. If desired, garnish with more basil or parsley.