France Cassoulet (Stew)
Hailing from southern France, cassoulet is a hearty stew made with beans, vegetables, pork, duck, link sausages, and sometimes even goose or mutton. The recipe requires time and patience, but the resultant aroma of simmering bacon, onions, and duck confit make it well worth the wait. Despite its humble origins as peasant food, cassoulet is a versatile dish that is equally appropriate in intimate home kitchens as in high-end French restaurants. Recipe Servings: Serves 6–8
Prep Time
20 minutes
+ 8 hours resting
+ 8 hours resting
Cook Time
2 hours 40 minutes
Total Time
11 hours
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- Beans
- 1 lb (450 g) dried great northern beans
- 1 whole clove
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp (5 ml) dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) dried rosemary
- 10 cups (2.5 l) water
- 1/2 lb (230 g) thick-sliced bacon, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp (5 ml) olive oil
- 1 lb (450 g) link sausages, cut in half crosswise
- 1 lb (450 g) cooked duck leg confit
- 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) salt
- 1 tsp (5 ml) freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp (5 ml) herbes de provence
- 14 oz can (392 g) diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup (60 g) butter
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 cups (180 g) panko breadcrumbs
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
- salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
Directions
- First, pre-soak the 1 pound (450 g) dried Great Northern beans overnight in cold water.
- Drain the soaked beans and place them in a large Dutch oven with the water. Add the clove, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary to the pot and simmer the mixture over medium heat for an hour until the beans are tender.
- Separate the beans and the broth into separate large bowls; set each aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
- Meanwhile, brown the bacon—without letting it get crispy—in a large saucepan for about 5 minutes.
- Add the salt, carrots, celery, and onion to the bacon and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Mix the diced tomatoes with the bacon and vegetables and season the pan with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes over medium heat before adding it to the beans; stir to combine.
- Add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of olive oil to the pan and heat over a medium flame. Brown the sausage links and duck confit for about 5 minutes on each side.
- Pour 1/2 of the bean mixture into the Dutch oven and layer the duck and sausage overtop. Add the rest of the beans and pour the bean broth into over the cassoulet.
- Cover the pot and bring the liquid to a simmer. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake the cassoulet for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the topping in a skillet over medium heat by melting the butter and sautéing the garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, and black pepper in the olive oil.
- Check that there is liquid at the bottom of the Dutch oven, adding water if necessary. Spread half of the crumb topping over the cassoulet and cook sans lid for 20 minutes. Check the liquid level again and add the remaining crumbs mixture as a topping.
- Turn the oven heat up to 375° F (190° C) and bake the uncovered cassoulet for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Serve with duck and sausages.
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