Tag: cassoulet

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The perfect one pot meal is the cassoulet

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I have always thought of the revered cassoulet much like a bread pudding. This is something made with extra meals found in a large commercial kitchen.

So if you are attempting this in a smaller home kitchen then extra time needs to be set aside to make all the components before putting it together and baking it off.

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This is a French favorite or Cajun if you prefer the spicy Louisiana version. The typical recipe contains three major components: a duck “confit”, a lamb stew and a ham stew.

Given it is French, you would expect that it contains the “trinity” of onions ( I prefer sweet), carrots (roundels) and celery. A Louisiana style might also contain red bell peppers (as mine does). Wine is a popular ingredient and since this is a “blend of meals”, Cote du Rhone is an apropos addition.

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Of course a healthy amount of beans is used… What we call Navy Beans

So, experiment a bit and make this ancient recipe for yourself and start your own family tradition!

Bon appetite!

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Cassoulet de Castelnaudary a la Larousse Gastronomique

sometimes the simple comfort foods are best... the Cassoulet which is a bean stew

LaRousse ( 1938 first French edition & 1962 First English transalation) will inform you that there are three types of bean stews; however, the one they make for themselves is a version of a recipe  from Castelnaudary. Here’s the very basics of their team’s recipe that serves 8:

1) PLACE into eathernware pot ( the ‘Cassoulet’) add water,and simmer until beans are cooked:

     quart of white haricot (shell) beans (previously soaked for hours)
     1/2 pound salt breast of pork
     1/3 pound de-salted bacon skins
     carrot
     onion stuck with cloves
     “bouquet garni”

2) In another pan:

     brown 1/2 pounds of loin pork and 1 pound of boned loin of mutton
     well season with salt and pepper in lard or goose fat
     when browned, place in another pan with two cooked onions,
           “bouquet garni“,  2 crushed cloves of garlic
     keep moistened either with gravy or beef stock
     you may add tomato purree or 3 chopped and seedless tomatoes

CLICK on the image for a trip to Fance to see how it all is made... at least their version! 😉

3) When beans are all cooked, remove veggies form the beans and add pork, mutton, sausage and add a leg of preserved leg of goose or duck (confit d’oie or confir de canard) and simmer for an hour

4) remove meat from beans and cut up

5) put into large eathernware pot and alternately layer beans and meat and some of it’s sauce and season each layer, top with more bean. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cook on low heat (325 F. or so) for 1 1/2 hours or so.

6) serve at table from the pot!

This is an extraordinary dish… and to be honest, I am still playing with my own version!

Bon Appetite!