Winter Polish Sausage and Bean Stew

1. Cut the Kielbasa up into small slices and finely chop the garlic. Chop the parsley. Halve the tomatoes.
2. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat for three or four minutes. When the pan is hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.
3. When the oil shimmers, add the sausage and sauté until lightly browned. Add the drained beans, the chicken stock, garlic, tomatoes and half the parsley to the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Simmer gently for at least thirty minutes so the flavors can meld.
5. About five minutes before serving, add the other half of the chopped parsley, reserving just a bit for garnish.
6. To serve, ladle into bowls and sprinkle with a little fresh parsley.

VARIATIONS

1. This stew is fantastic as is, but it also lends itself to any number of variations. Add any fresh or dried herbs that you like. Just add them to taste.
2. Consider adding a large can of diced tomatoes.
3. The addition of some red cabbage would be in keeping with the Polish roots of this dish. If you like cabbage, add about a cup of shredded cabbage when you add the beans.
4. If you are not a huge garlic fan, you can certainly cut back on the garlic to only one or two cloves as opposed to a whole head.
5. Try roasting the garlic first. Simply cut off the end of the garlic head to expose the cloves, drizzle with some olive oil and wrap in foil. Then, roast at 375° F for about an hour, or until the garlic is very soft and caramelized. Let it cool and then squeeze out the soft roasted garlic and add it along with the beans.