Ok. I like good food, and am particularly partial to French food. I
still think it’s the best cuisine in the world, despite inroads from
other cuisines. As someone once said – “for the Italians good food is a way of life, but for the French it is an art form.” And that is SO true.
But where is the art in a basic bean stew such as a cassoulet? It’s peasant food derived from scraps! But the French peasant class have created some of the best dishes from cheap ingredients. And the taste? To die for.
I had some left over meats and beans and went to work and created my version of a French Cassoulet. Delish. And it
sure beats tedious meat and 3 veg constructs. Instead of doing the same old thing, night after night, why not liven up the evening meal with a hearty, flavoursome casoulet? Here’s a recipe:
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 cup (215g) dried cannelini beans
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 500g pork belly, cut into 2cm pieces
- 200g speck, cut into batons
- 2 (about 150g) garlic sausages
- 2 duck marylands or breast fillets
- 2 brown onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 4 cups (1L) chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups (105g) fresh breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)
- 30g butter, melted
Method
- Place beans in a medium bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Set aside overnight to soak.
- Preheat oven to 140°C. Heat oil in a large casserole pan over high heat. Add one-third of the pork and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat in 2 more batches.
- Add speck to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until brown. Transfer to bowl. Add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until brown all over. Slice thickly diagonally.
- Add duck and cook for 4-5 minutes each side or until browned. Transfer to the bowl. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add pork, speck, sausage and duck, thyme and rosemary. Drain beans. Add beans, tomato and stock. Remove from heat.
- Bake in preheated oven, covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Remove the duck marylands. Use forks to coarsely flake and return to the cassoulet. Combine breadcrumbs and butter in a bowl. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over cassoulet. Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until top is crisp and golden. Remove from oven and serve.
Notes & tips
- You will need to begin this recipe one day in advance, although I make it on the spot.
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