Recipes / Pot
Pot
White Bean, Sausage & Escarole Stew
The Tavern Pot
Set it up after lunch and the slow cooker has dinner done when the session starts. It sits on warm for hours and gets better. Serve it in mugs at the break.
At the table: Warm setting up to 4 hours, at 140°F or above; check with a thermometer once an hour. Stir in a splash of broth if it thickens.
Not yet table-tested. This recipe is written from standard, well-known methods and has not been through our test tables yet. The badge changes when it has.
Crafting formula
TrainsBladeFireTime
Stock your pantry to see what you are missing.
Why nowThis is the bean boom at its most practical: dried beans, a little sausage, and a party fed for about two dollars a bowl.
Ingredients
As written: About 4 quarts.
Kosher salt means Diamond Crystal. With Morton kosher salt, use about half.
Method
Brown the sausage in the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, 6 to 8 minutes.
Look forNo pink left, with browned bits on the pan.
Add the onion and carrots and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper flakes for 1 minute.
Meanwhile, cover the soaked beans with fresh water in a pot, bring to a full rolling boil, and boil hard 10 minutes. Drain.
Look forDo not skip this. White kidney beans carry a natural toxin that a slow cooker may not get hot enough to destroy; a hard boil does.
Scrape everything into the slow cooker. Add the boiled beans, broth, Parmesan rind, bay leaves and salt.
Cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours.
Look forBeans are creamy all the way through. Taste three; if one is chalky, keep going.
Stir in the escarole for the last 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season with salt.
Make ahead
Plan for the overnight soak. Keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes 3 months. To serve after chilling, reheat on the stove to 165°F, then hold in a slow cooker on warm.
Holding
Warm setting up to 4 hours, at 140°F or above; check with a thermometer once an hour. Stir in a splash of broth if it thickens.
Allergens
Contains milk (Parmesan), check the sausage for wheat. Always check labels on packaged ingredients.
Notes
Short on time: use four 15-ounce cans of beans, drained (no boil needed), cut the broth to 4 cups, and cook on low 3 hours.
Vegetarian: skip the sausage and the Parmesan rind, use vegetable broth, add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and 2 more tablespoons olive oil, and serve with a vegetarian hard cheese.
Tavern Night
This dish's twist table (d6)
| 1–2 | The classic stands. No twist. Cook it as written. |
|---|---|
| 3 | Herb swap. Stir in a handful of chopped basil or parsley at the end |
| 4 | Acid strike. Finish each mug with a drizzle of good olive oil and lemon |
| 5 | Plating challenge. Serve in mugs with a crusty bread stick |
| 6 | Host's boon. The Host picks any twist above, or the table invents one. The safety rule still applies. |
Roll before you start cooking. No twist ever changes a time, a temperature or how done something must be.