Tuscan bread stew

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 small savoy cabbage
• 300 g carrot(s)
• 500 g potatoes
• 500 g sausages
• 2 shallots or 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 1 large can of tomatoes, peeled, approx. 800 g
• 1 gr. jar white beans, approx. 720 ml
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 4 rosemary sprigs
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 baguette(s)
• 120 g Parmesan
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

You will need 1 large casserole dish or roasting pan, approximately 30 x 30 cm and at least 12 cm deep. Peel the savoy cabbage leaves one by one, remove the white “main vein,” wash the leaves, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Peel the potatoes and carrots and dice them into bite-sized pieces. Squeeze the sausages out of their skins and tear them into bite-sized pieces. Peel the shallots and garlic and dice them into small cubes. Drain the white beans. Remove the needles from the thyme sprigs. Sauté the garlic and shallots in a large pot in olive oil over medium heat. Add the chunky potatoes, carrots, and sausages to the pot and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the chunky savoy cabbage to the pot along with the two bay leaves. Add the canned tomatoes to the pot with the tomato broth, thyme, and about half of the white beans, and mash the canned tomatoes slightly. Season well with salt and pepper. Pour in vegetable stock to about half the height of the ingredients in the pot, stir again, and simmer with the lid closed over medium heat for about 30-45 minutes, until everything is tender (the potatoes take the longest). Stir the stew occasionally and adjust the heat slightly if necessary. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C fan/convection oven. Place half of the white beans in a tall bowl with a little vegetable stock (careful that the bean cream doesn’t become too runny) and the chopped rosemary sprigs and puree with a hand blender. The final result should be a creamy mixture. Cut the baguette into approximately 3 cm thick slices and fry the baguette slices, one at a time, in olive oil over medium-high heat (you’ll need to top up the mixture frequently, as the bread absorbs the oil) until golden brown. Then place the slices on a paper towel. Grate the Parmesan cheese and set aside. Once everything in the pot is cooked, use a ladle or slotted spoon (using a slotted spoon will result in less broth) to fill a layer of the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread some bean cream on the crusty baguette slices and roughly arrange them side by side on the bed of vegetables and salsiccia, about 6-8 slices per layer. Spread about half of the Parmesan cheese on the first layer. Repeat with the second layer. Place the bread slices slightly crosswise this time, if necessary. Finish with the remaining Parmesan cheese, garnish with the remaining 2 rosemary sprigs, and place in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Note: This winter/autumn dish is a rustic leftover dish. The quantities are approximate only. Deviations within a normal tolerance according to your own taste do not reduce the quality. The dish requires some preparation time. But with good products, the effort is worth it. I always have some vegetable broth left over, which can be used excellently in other ways.