Cassoulet

By kikilu — January 16, 2013

[photo: Cara's Cravings]

People are afraid to make cassoulet. I'm going to convince you otherwise. Mostly the fear comes from the traditional version which is prepared with duck confit and takes a couple days of prep work. I've done a lot of reading and testing recipes over the years and came up with this version that's no different than making stew. When I demonstrated this at Mariano's Fresh Market for the Fine Living Program, people stood around with a ton of questions as they tasted samples. Amazed by the flavors, they bought the ingredients to recreate the dish for their families. Voila…that's the point of the program! Everyone should dine out and taste flavors from around the world when you have the opportunity. Then, go home and start to experiment in your own kitchen. Cassoulet is a country dish with white beans, white wine, tomatoes, meat that falls apart and sausage. It's a lovely winter one-pot dish and there are lots of ways to make it. My version uses all pork products but you can easily sub out the pork shoulder for duck, chicken thighs or lamb. Also, for the liquids, you want to just cover everything and reserve some liquid to see how it cooks down. Add more broth if needed…always easier to add than to take away. The sauce thickens when you remove the dutch oven and hand-shred some of the meat into the sauce.

As for the size of the recipe, it's a huge pot. Cut the recipe in half if you need to, but cassoulet makes great leftovers. Lastly, please try to use dried beans. Soak them the night before. Contrary to what you've been told, it has nothing to do with farting. You will still toot even if you soak them. Soaking prepares them to cook more evenly. Dried beans have a better bite in a finished dish and really don't add more work.

Cassoulet Recipe

By kikilu Published: January 16, 2013

Yield: 10-12 Servings
Cook: 3 hours mins

by Kiki Luthringshausen of Beauty and Her Feast

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder cut into 2
6 - 8 fully cooked garlic sausages or other smoked sausages such as kiebasa cut in 3
1 lb bag of dried great northern beans* soaked overnight, or 5 cans drained and rinsed
8 oz diced pancetta or thick cut bacon 2 pre-cut packages of pancetta cubetti
2 medium yellow onions chopped
2 medium carrots chopped
1 head of garlic chopped
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes preferably fired roasted
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 quart chicken broth plus more if needed
3 cups dry white wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups plain breadcrumbs preferably panko
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley chopped
kosher salt/pepper to taste
vegetable oil for sauteing

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Pat the pork dry and season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Rinse the beans that have been soaking.
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, coat the bottom of the pot with vegetable oil. Once hot, add the pancetta or bacon and cook until crisp. Remove the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside.
Raise the heat to medium-high and add the pork without overcrowding. Overcrowding the pot will cause the meat to poach, not sear. Brown the pork on both sides and remove to a bowl. Repeat with remaining pork.
Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
Splash a little wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits. Add the remainder of the wine, broth tomatoes and tomato paste, stirring to break up the paste.
Now add the beans, pork, carrots, thyme, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Nestle the garlic sausage into the mixture. The mixture should be just covered in liquid; add more during cooking if needed.
Place lid on pot and put in the oven for 2 hours. Check that the cassoulet has enough broth during that time.
Bread Crumb topping: In a small mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, olive oil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and toss.
Remove the pot and check if the pork if fork-tender (easily falls apart). Turn the heat down to 300° degrees. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed.
Cover the cassoulet with the breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until a crust forms.
Remove from the oven and let the cassoulet rest for 15 minutes. Serve in large bowls with crusty French bread. Reheats well as leftovers!
*Note, I prefer to use dried beans because they hold up better to the lengthy cooking time. To soak beans, place in a large bowl, cover beans by 3” of water…and leave them overnight. This step allows for shorter cooking time. When ready to use, rinse them under cold water. Very easy.