Escarole with Italian Sausage and White Beans

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ lbs Italian sausages, casings removed*
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 large head escarole, chopped (about 10 cups)
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté sausage until cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 6 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl, leaving drippings in pot. Reduce heat to medium; add onion to pot and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add prosciutto and sauté 1 minute. Mix in garlic and crushed red pepper. Add escarole and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook 2 minutes. Add beans, stock and sausage and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Top with grated Parmesan, if desired.

*Of note, this recipe reflects one change from the original.  Based on several reviews criticizing that the dish was too meat-heavy, I used 1 ½ lbs of sausage instead of the original 3 lbs.

Serves: 12 as a side-dish or 6 as main-course.

Source: Bon Appétit October 1998

Prepared by: Leslie for the February 2006 meeting