Italian Sausage With Stewed White Beans

Both sausage (in the freezer) and beans (in the pantry) are great bomb shelter foods. Keep them on hand at all times for emergencies, such as daily hunger. If you have access to a butcher, that's the best place to find good sausage; and if you must use chicken, use chicken. Just make sure it's Italian-style. Theoretically the beans serve enough for two; what's left will be delicious the next day (or the day after that), at room temperature. If you cooked an extra sausage, slice it and stir it in with the leftover beans before refrigerating.  Carolynn Carreño is the writer of the weekly column Cooking for One (Two if You're Lucky).