between us, Promote member activity on TuesdaysRachel Owens, WUWM morning paper Organizers described the $15,000 matching grant from our friends at Vino Veritas as similar to a potluck, where someone brings a dish, someone else brings another, and suddenly there’s a feast. Did. And since we had just recently hosted a WUWM staff Thanksgiving potluck, Rachel used the cassoulet I made as an example.
This was kind of interesting, so Stephanie, a Shorewood sustaining member, asked for the recipe. And thanks to donors and members like you and Stephanie, all of our content is free and accessible, so we provide it here for your enjoyment.
This is not a French technique suitable for cassoulet. Because the dish is ultimately a humble stew of beans and assorted meats, this recipe maintains the spirit of the dish while being easy enough for novice home cooks. This recipe uses store-bought gelatin and focuses on one-pot cooking, so it recreates the richness and flavor of the dish with half the work.
Cassoulet recipe
Serves 6-8 people
Materials and method:
1 pound Moroccan lamb sausage (or 1 pound garlic sausage)
4 whole chicken thighs
8 oz.Salt pork, cubed
1 pound dried cannellini beans, washed and soaked in salted water overnight (white kidney beans, such as navy beans or Great Northern beans, can also be substituted)
1.5 tablespoons duck fat (or butter)
2 medium carrots (diced)
2 celery ribs (diced)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 garlic clove (coarsely chopped)
1 generous squeeze of tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 sprigs of rosemary
3 sprigs of parsley
4 bottles of thyme
2 bay leaves
1.5 teaspoons clove powder
5 cups chicken broth, plus 2 cups reserved
1 box of gelatin
Method
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Drain the cannellini beans and store in a colander.
Roast the salt pork in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat until brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. If necessary, add more duck fat to soften the salt pork and prevent it from burning. Remove the salt pork from the Dutch oven into a bowl and add the sausage to the Dutch oven.
While the sausage is browning, season the chicken thighs with pepper. Once the sausage is browned, about 4 minutes on each side, remove it from the Dutch oven and transfer to a plate.
Place the chicken thighs in the Dutch oven and brown for about 5 minutes on each side.
While the chicken is browning, mix the gelatin pack with enough water to make a thick paste. This will prevent the gelatin from hardening later. Let’s set it aside.
Once browned, remove the chicken thighs and set aside on a separate plate.
Add the carrots, onions, and celery to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring to pick up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and plenty of tomato paste and stir. Add rosemary, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Continue frying for 1-2 minutes.
Increase heat to high, add 1 cup of red wine, stir, and let stand until mixture is reduced by half.
Add salt pork, drained beans, and 5 cups chicken broth. Let the soup cover the beans. If not, add a little more broth to cover the beans and vegetables. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil. Boil this mixture on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. This gives the beans a little head start before you put them in the oven.
Remove herbs from mixture and discard. Add gelatin mixture and stir. This will help the cassoulet form a “skin” when you put it in the oven.
Add the browned sausage and use kitchen shears to cut the sausage into inch-long chunks.
Add the chicken thighs to the Dutch oven and mix well. Add a clove and a sprinkling or two of freshly ground pepper. Do not add salt. There should be enough salt in the dish from the salt pork. There should still be enough liquid to cover the beans and meat.
Place the Dutch oven, uncovered, in a preheated 300 degree oven.
After an hour, check for sores and puncture the developing skin. This allows you to rehydrate the beans and improve their texture. If the mixture is too dry, you can add more of the reserved chicken broth. Return the cassoulet to the oven.
After another hour, check for sores and puncture the skin again. Return to oven.
By the third hour, this will be the last time you check to see if the cassoulet has punctured the gelatin skin. Check the texture of the beans. If it’s still firm, put it back in the oven for another hour, but if it’s just softened, put it back in the oven for 30 minutes.
After a total cooking time of 3.5 to 4 hours, the cassoulet is ready. You can tell by the texture of the beans and the caramelized skin on top of the stew.
Carefully remove from the oven and serve with crunchy French bread.
enjoy!