I read that this is a traditional dish in northern Italy, usually made with lard and pork belly, which I replaced here with olive oil, sausages and pancetta, thus getting the strong flavours of pork with less cooking time. The sausages can also be replaced with small ribs.
Ingredients: - 3 tbsp olive oil - 2 medium onions, chopped - 2 carrots, chopped - 4 oz pancetta, diced - 1 lb sausages, cut into 1-inch thick chunks (mine had cheese and parsley in them) - 1 cup pitted black olives - 3 oz tomato puree - 1 cup beef stock - 1 glass red wine - 14oz can cannellini beans, drained - 3 bay leaves - salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and fry the onions and carrots over high heat for about 2 minutes, until golden.
Add in the pancetta and sausages and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring periodically.
Add in the wine and cook for about 3 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
Stir in the tomato puree, add the beef stock, cannellini beans, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil
Cover the pan and put into the oven for 30 minutes, until the sausages are tender and the sauce has thickened. Serve with your favorite crusty bread.
Enjoy!