Beans are great for dips and stews. Not everyone appreciates them, because it takes a while to prepare them. I am a big fan despite this. We make sure that we soak the beans and cook them in a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time in half.
Cassoulet is a slow cooked bean stew with meat that originated in France. It was named after a pot called cassole. There is no specific type of meat used for this dish. You may use leftovers or even duck if you wish.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup dried cannellini beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
500g pork belly, cut into 2cm pieces
2 garlic sausages, sliced
2 chicken or breast fillets
2 brown onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary
4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 small stick of butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Soak beans in cold water overnight.
Preheat oven to 280F.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan  or cassoulet over medium heat. Fry the pork in batches for 8-10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Transfer to a large bowl.
In the same pan, cook the sausages for 5 minutes or until it is browned. Remove from the pan and place in the same bowl where the pork is.
After, fry the chicken or duck fillets for 4-5 minutes on each side or until it is light brown. Drain excess oil and transfer to the bowl with the pork and sausages.
Sauté the garlic and onion in the same pan for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the pork, sausages, duck, tomatoes, rosemary and thyme. Drain the beans and add it to the saucepan. Pour in the stock. Bring to a boil.
Remove the pan from heat and bake it covered for 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft. After remove the duck or chicken fillets and cut them into bite size pieces. Return them to the pan.
Combine the melted butter and bread crumbs in a bowl. Mix well. Sprinkle it over the cassoulet. Bake it for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Photo Courtesy Of: skampy