Wednesday Night Dinner

Wednesday=clinical which basically means that I come home feeling like my brain exploded. Twelve hours of clinical will do that to you. All I want when I come home is something delicious to eat without too much work. French Bread and Sausage Bean Stew were the answer. I loved both these recipes and would highly recommend them.

Homemade French Bread

2 1/2 c. very warm water
2 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
1 T. salt
2 T. vegetable oil
5-6 c. flour

In a large bowl, mix water, yeast, and sugar with a whisk until mostly dissolved. Let it sit for 4 minutes until frothy. Add salt, oil and 3 c. of flour and mix well. Add the additional 2 c. flour and mix. Cover and let rise. After 10 minutes, stir down. Repeat 3 more times--every ten minutes.
Knead a few times on a floured surface--do not over knead. Roll out into a square and roll up.
Pinch the ends down and lay on a flat baking stone or pan. Rise about 20-30 minutes (I usually don't have time for this step and its fine) and bake at 400 degrees until golden. This recipe makes 2 large loaves or a few smaller ones. I either make a couple or a few and give one or two away or save half of the dough for the next night.

Sausage and Bean Stew

Sausage and Bean Stew

adapted from A Dash of Sass

1 tablespoon
1 and 1/2 pounds sweet or hot Italian sausage (I used hot)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (19 ounce) can cannellini/pinto/whatever you like beans, rinsed and drained (I used pinto)
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed, diced, or stewed tomatoes (I used diced)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat a large saucepan or high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil.

2. Add the green bell peppers and the onion. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and quickly saute, about another minute; continue stirring to avoid burning the garlic.

3. Remove the sausage casing and tear sausage into small pieces with the wooden spoon in the pan as you add it to the pepper and onion mixture. Cook until browned and crumbled, approximately 5 to 8 minutes.

4. Add in the tomatoes, beans, then the spices. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly warmed and thickened. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, with crusty bread, or just on its own! Serves 2 generously.