Lately I've become enamored of braised beans and sausages. It is a hearty entrée perfect for fall weather, most especially after a day of heavy physical labor cleaning up the garden for winter or raking and mulching leaves for the compost. Lots of protein, some good fat, but also plenty of fiber to ensure a good digestion. Combined with an appropriate salad and a glass of wine it can't be beat for cheering up an evening prematurely dark after the clocks are set back.

Most recipes of this kind are north African or from the eastern Mediterranean, and are a staple of cuisines like Lebanese and Moroccan. They would typically call for broad beans (fava) or chickpeas, with a spicy lamb or beef sausage like merguez. These are always amazing, but I was tossing around ideas about how to translate the concept into more of an American-heartland sensibility, and this recipe was the result. We were quite surprised at how good it was.

I used cranberry beans from the garden. These are a large, plump bean that cook up tender and almost juicy, with a light pink color after the boil has washed away the "cranberry" markings from the skins. We had a few "Irish bangers" from the Charlottesville Fresh Market malingering in the freezer, and they turned out to be a perfect fit. The beans were cooked first, in chicken broth and water, just enough to ensure that they would be very tender when the dish was complete, but not mushy or falling apart.

After browning the sausage lightly I prepared a typical French-style sauté of finely chopped onions and coarsely chopped carrots and celery, right there in the sausage juices with a little olive oil to help things along. Separately I ground some dry but still very aromatic rosemary leaves together with whole mustard seed using mortar and pestle, and threw them in the pan just as the sauté was starting to get tender and carmelize. After another minute or so I deglazed with some inexpensive white wine I keep handy for that purpose, then strained the beans and added them to the pan. I turned in some plain yogurt and let it all come to a low simmer, then put the sausages on top and placed the covered braiser in a medium oven until the sausages were sure to be well cooked, about 40 minutes.

There was more juice in the braiser when I took it out of the oven than I anticipated, but it was very hearty and I just served everything up like a stew in shallow bowls with the sausage on top, and finished with some minced parsely and fresh cracked pepper. A little bread on the side and a small tomato salad with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and some feta were the perfect adjuncts. There was general agreement after the first bites that this was among the happiest inventions in recent memory.

As I often do, I have written this as a single-serving recipe. Just multiply everything by the number of people you will serve. If you discover other notably-delicious variations on "braised beans with sausage" I'll be pleased to learn of it. Mucho gusto!