Cassoulet

 

If you need a hearty stew, cassoulet is the way to go! This carefully crafted dish takes time to create, but the result will be totally worth it! It's a warm filling stew that makes even the coldest days seem warm. A unique combination of meat and veggies, this stew is a perfect dish to make for the family, which is why it is third on the list of Top Ten Popular Foods in France!

Originated in southern France in the town of Castelnaudary, cassoulet is a rich, slow cooked casserole containing meat (typically pork sausages, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin and white beans. It is named after the earthware pot, the casserole. 

Ingredients! 

1 pound dried cannelloni beans

3 tablespoons kosher salt, for table salt, use half as much volume

1 quart homemade or store bought low sodium chicken stock

3 packets (3/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin, such as Knox

2 tablespoons duck fat (optional) 

8 ounces salt pork, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

6-8 pieces of chicken thighs and drumsticks or 4 whole chicken leg quarters 

Freshly ground black pepper 

1 pound garlic sausage (2-4 links, depending on size) 

1 large onion, finely diced (about 1 cup) 

1 carrot, unpeeled, cut into 3 inch sections

2 stalks celery, cut into 3 inch sections

1 whole head garlic

4 sprigs parsley 

2 bay leaves 

6 cloves

How to make Cassoulet 

1) In a large bowl, cover beans with 3 quarts water and add salt. Stir to combine and let sit at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse beans and set aside. 

2) Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place stock in a large liquid measuring cup and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Set aside. Heat duck fat (if using) in a large Dutch oven over high heat until simmering. Add salt pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl, leaving rendered fat in Dutch oven, and set aside. (If not using Dutch fat, cook pork with no additional fat). 

3) Season chicken pieces with pepper (do not add salt) and place skin side down in the now empty pan. Cook without moving until well browned, 6-8 minutes. Flip chicken pieces and continue cooking until lightly browned on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer it to bowl with salt pork. 

4) Add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on both sides. Transfer it to bowl with salt pork and chicken. Drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot. 

5) Add onions to pot and cook stirring and scrapping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until onions are translucent but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add drained beans, carrot, parsley, celery, garlic, bay leaves, cloves and stock/gelatin mixture. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce to low, cover Dutch oven, and cook until beans are almost tender but retain a slight bite, about 45 minutes. 

6) Using tongs, remove carrots, celery, parsley, bay leaves and cloves and discard. Add meats to pot and stir to incorporate, making sure that the chicken pieces end up on top of the beans with the skin facing upwards. Beans should be almost completely submerged. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered until a thin crust forms on top,  about two hours, adding more water by pouring it carefully down the side of the pot, as necessary, to keep beans mostly covered. 

7) Break crust with a spoon and shake pot gently to redistribute. Return to oven  and continue cooking, stopping to break and shake the crust every 30 minutes until you reach the 4 1/2 hour mark. Return to oven and continue cooking undisturbed until the crust is deep brown and thick, about 5-6 hours total. Serve immediately!

And we finally have our cassoulet after hours of cooking, but like I said earlier, it would be worth it! Share it with your family! Enjoy your savoury cassoulet! 

Ingredients and instructions sourced from www.seriouseats.com :

https://www.seriouseats.com/traditional-french-cassoulet-recipe

Image retrieved from www.depositphotos.com