Pork
Cassoulet
Prep Time:
5 minutes
Cook Time:
2 hours
Serves:
4
This dish is said to come from Languedoc and to take its name from the glazed earthenware pot known as a cassole: narrow at the bottom and wide-mouthed at the top. It became special to me when I walked across the Pyrenees from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. After a hard day’s trekking, finding a refuge serving cassoulet with a glass of wine was the perfect end to the day. This is my version.
Ingredients
- 2 cooked duck legs
- 500g Tarbais beans or cannellini beans soaked overnight
- 500g pork belly skin removed, cut into 5 cm cubes
- 1 onion peeled & studded with 3 cloves
- 1 Bouquet garni
- 60g duck fat
- 4 Toulouse-style sausages
- 1 onion peeled & diced
- 2 carrots peeled & diced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled & diced
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
Method
1 Strain the beans, wash, then add to a pot.
2 Cover with clean, cold water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Skim off any impurities from the surface and bring to a simmer.
3 Add the bouquet garni and studded onion, then cook until the beans are soft.
4 Remove the onion and bouquet garni then allow to cool in their liquid.
5 In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, melt the duck fat and brown the pork, duck legs, and sausages. Reserve them on a plate.
6 Add the celery, onion, and carrot, then cook without colour on a low heat.
7 Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes, add to the beans, then season with salt and pepper.
8 Pour the beans into a casserole dish then add the sausages, pork, and duck legs. Cook for 45 minutes.
9 Cover with breadcrumbs and put into a preheated oven set at 180°C and cook for about 30 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Bring it to your table
Want Andy to bring these flavours to your own table or event? Get in touch to discuss the menu.
