Merguez Sausauge with Spinach and White Beans

I rarely buy cookbooks, but one day I was browsing and came across one called “Best of the Best.” This recipe book is amazing as it is created by the Food and Wine Magazine editors who found the top 25 recipes from the top cookbooks. Come on, if you are a food lover, you could understand the temptation. As I stood there with a coffee in one hand and flipping through the pages with the other, my mouth started to water. Immediately after I purchased the book, I rushed to the store to pick out ingredients to start some of the dishes. The first one I want to share with you is the following spicy dish made with Merquez Sausage, a spicy North African sausage typically made with lamb. It has a unique texture and flavor and I think you’ll love it! I altered the recipe a bit.

Spicy Merguez Sausauge with Spinanch and White Beans

1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 big bunches of spinach,  stems removed, washed and dried
1 large onion
8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch each of the following: clove, nutmeg, cumin
1 tablespoon  Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning
1/2 lb dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in cold water and drained
2 1bs, Merguez sausage (individual links or one long link). By the way, if you’re from the Bay Area in California, the best place to get the sausage is at Dittmer’s on San Antonio Rd. in Mountain View , a fantastic gourmet meats place.
1/4-1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp salt
4 cups water

Preparation

Preheat to 300 and place rack in center of oven. Heat 1/4 olive oil in a wide cast-iron pot (or dutch oven) over high heat. Add the spinach little by little and cook, stirring constantly – or else it starts to catch on the bottom of the pan. Cook like this until the spinach wilts, darkens and barely has any liquid in the bottom of the pan (about 20 minutes)

Add the onions, garlic, salt, pepper, clove, nutmeg and cumin and cook for another five minutes.

Pour in 4 cups of water and the beans until it starts to simmer – and then cover a cook in oven for about an hour and a half – or until the beans are tender. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a separate pan and brown the sausage on all sides (don’t fully cook them) and then set aside.

Once the beans are tender, add the sausage on top of the beans, spinach and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Put back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Serving Suggestion
Now, go enjoy this dish with someone you love and watch them say “mmmmm…”