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Cassoulet

Ready in 2 hrs 20 mins

Recipe by Graham 

Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole of peasant origins from the south of France. Typically, it contains pork sausages, pork loin, duck or goose (and often mutton) and white haricot beans.

I prefer using cannellini beans to haricot because a good Cassoulet is defined by the tenderness of the beans (and, as a bonus, cannellini beans have been shown to lower total cholesterol levels and lipoprotein cholesterol, not to mention inhibiting cancer cell growth). There are several varieties of navy bean and the cannellini is a popular variety, so you should have no difficulty getting hold of them.

Preparation Time

20 Minutes

Cooking Time

2 Hours

Ingredients for Cassoulet

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4 - 6:

4 duck legs (including thighs)
1 lb lean lamb (or pork loin)
4 pork sausages (Toulouse sausages if you can get them)
2 onions
2 sticks celery
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon duck fat
1 tablespoon plain flour (all purpose flour)
2 tablespoons tomato purée (tomato paste)
1 lb peeled tomatoes
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
  salt and pepper
1 lb cannellini beans

How to Cook Cassoulet

  1. In Preparation... Cut the duck legs at the joint between the leg and the thigh. Remove the meat from the leg and set aside (leave the thighs intact). Trim any excess fat off the lamb (or pork) and chop into ¾" (2cm) cubes. Peel and chop the onions. Peel and crush (mince) the garlic. Finely chop the celery. Peel and deseed the tomatoes then roughly chop them (If you prefer, you can use tinned tomatoes with the juice drained off).
  2. Heat the duck fat in large frying pan (skillet) and quickly cook the duck thighs until brown. Remove and set aside. Cook the lamb (or pork) until brown. Remove and set aside. Cook the sausages until brown. Remove and set aside. This should be done in very hot fat, just to brown the meat, not to cook it. Don't be tempted to try and add all the meat at once. It will take twice as long to brown and will cook the meat instead of just browning it.
  3. Turn down the heat, add the chopped onions to the remaining fat in pan and cook slowly until translucent. Add the crushed garlic and the chopped celery, stir for 1 minute then remove.
  4. Pour away any surplus fat then sprinkle flour over the base of the pan. Add the peeled and chopped tomatoes, the tomato purée (tomato paste) and the wine; stir until the sauce boils and thickens. Add thyme, bay leaves, cloves, salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
  5. Place ALL the ingredients (that includes the cannellini beans) into a casserole dish then add enough water to just cover the beans (If you have used tinned tomatoes, you can add the tomato juice instead). Cover and cook gently (simmer) until the beans are tender (about 1 to 1½ hours). After 45 minutes check to see if it needs more water, and add some if necessary. Serve hot and be aware that you may want your own bedroom afterwards! I’m just saying!
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
When your Cassoulet is done, season with salt, paprika and cayenne pepper to taste. Just stir it in and taste it: you'll love it.
 
GRAHAM'S WINE RECOMMENDATION:
A Grenache like Chateauneuf du Pape. Deep, full-bodied and a perfect partner to game and cassoulet.