Italian white bean and sausage stew

Soak the dry cannellini beans overnight in a whole bunch of cold fresh water.

Cut one slit down the centre of each Italian sausage and peel the casing off.

Brown the sausage in a dry soup pot over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces, until a fond forms on the bottom.

Add the diced onion and cook, stirring, about five minutes until soft and translucent; enough fat renders out of the sausage to cook them.

Splash in white wine to deglaze all the caramelization off the bottom.

Add black pepper, a nice big pinch of red chili flakes, one bay leaf and six to eight cups of water.

Stir in the drained soaked beans, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, skimming the foam if you like.

Reduce to medium-low and simmer about an hour, until the beans are tender.

Add the salt at about the 30 minute mark, halfway through.

Taste to be sure the beans are tender, then mash about 20 to 25 percent of them with a potato masher for a creamier texture.

Stir in three or four big handfuls of chopped greens, raise the heat to medium and cook until they are tender, about 15 minutes for dino kale or a couple of minutes for spinach.

Taste for salt and adjust, since it almost never has enough.

Serve piping hot with crusty Italian bread, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a few more chili flakes.