Cassoulet
HB-0429 · Hand-built original · French
A superbly rich bean stew laced with duck fat, sausages and pork belly
FrenchSunday, Dinner12 hr 30 minServes 6.0-8.0961 kcalDairy-freeEgg-freeHigh Fiber
Main ingredient: pork
Pairs well with: applesauce, roasted sweet potatoes, coleslaw, cornbread, braised cabbage
Servings:6quantities adjust to match
Ingredients
- 28¼ oz dried haricot beans
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled, plus 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 lb 3 oz bone-in pork belly (or lamb breast), cut into large chunks
- 2 confit duck legs, plus 3 tbsp of their fat
- 4 Toulouse sausages
- 1¼ cups dry white wine
- 4¼ oz dried breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1½ qt water, plus more as needed
Method
- Soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight, at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Put the beans in a large pot, cover with fresh water and add the halved onion, the whole head of garlic, the thyme and the bay leaf. Bring to the boil, skim, then simmer gently for about 1 hour until the beans are tender but not falling apart. Reserve the cooking liquid and discard the onion, garlic head and herbs.
- Heat the oven to 300°F. Season the pork belly chunks with salt and pepper and brown them well in the duck fat in a large frying pan. Set aside. Brown the Toulouse sausages in the same fat and set aside.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up the browned bits, and pour it into the bean pot.
- Rub the inside of a deep earthenware casserole with a cut garlic clove if you like. Layer in the beans and their liquid, the pork, and the duck legs, finishing with a layer of beans. The liquid should just cover everything; add bean cooking water as needed.
- Bake uncovered for about 2 1/2 hours. Every 30-40 minutes, break the crust that forms on top and push it back down into the beans, topping up with a little hot water if it looks dry.
- Lay the sausages on top, scatter over the breadcrumbs mixed with the chopped garlic cloves, and return to the oven for a final 30 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and crisp.
- Rest for 10-15 minutes before serving straight from the casserole.
Prep: 15 min · Cook: 255 min · Total: 750 min
Nutrition (per serving, where published)
961 kcalCalories
37.3 gProtein
48.3 gCarbs
65.3 gFat
1.8 gSaturates
14.4 gFibre
2.9 gSugars
1100 mgSodium
101 mgCholesterol
830 mgPotassium
133 mgCalcium
4.9 mgIron
1 servingServing
Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data