CASSOULET
8 to 10 servings
This bread crumb–topped bean casserole comes from the south of France, and may include a combination of pork, sausage, bacon, duck, wildfowl, or lamb. If you happen to have Duck or Goose Confit, you may omit the duck legs here, shred the confit, and layer about 1 ½ cups of it in with the beans (halve the amount of salt and pepper for seasoning the pork). Tarbais beans are traditional, but Great Northern, flageolet, or cannellini beans are easier to find and work well here.
Combine in a pot:
- 1 pound dried Tarbais, Great Northern, or flageolet beans, rinsed and picked over
- 8 cups chicken stock or water
- (1 ham hock, especially if using water instead of stock)
- 1 medium onion, peeled and stuck with 3 whole cloves
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 5 sprigs parsley
- 1 bay leaf
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until the beans are almost tender but still slightly chalky, about 1 hour. When the beans are nearly parcooked, add to the pot for the last 10 minutes of cooking:
- 12 ounces garlic sausages or bratwurst, pricked a few times with a fork
Meanwhile, cook in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rendered and browned:
- 8 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cut into ½-inch cubes
As the meat cooks, season:
- 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 pound duck legs
with:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Transfer the pancetta or bacon to a plate. Add the seasoned pork and duck pieces in batches to the pot and brown all over. Transfer to the plate with the pancetta or bacon. Pour off the fat into a bowl and set aside. Pour into the pot:
- ½ cup white wine, chicken stock, or water
Deglaze by scraping up any browned bits, then remove the pot from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. When the beans are parcooked, remove the sausages and ham hock from the pot and set aside. Discard the onion, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Shred the meat from the hock (discard the bone) and thickly slice the sausages. Place one-third of the beans in the bottom of the Dutch oven (or a wide 4-quart baking dish). Top the layer of beans with the duck legs and about one-third of the pork, pancetta or bacon, and sausage. Layer with another third of the beans, then distribute the rest of the meat on top, followed by the remaining beans. Pour enough bean cooking liquid into the pot to come to the surface of the beans. Mix 2 tablespoons of the reserved fat with:
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
Sprinkle in an even layer over the top of the beans. Bake until the layer of bread crumbs is nicely browned, about 1 ½ hours. After 1 hour of cooking, you may “crack” the bread crumb layer all over with a spoon, then spread and pat down the crumbs in an even layer again (this helps brown the crumbs more thoroughly). Once browned to your liking, remove the cassoulet from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.