This first recipe was a hard one to pick for my blog as there are so
many but I wanted to start with my favourite dish at the moment and
with the cold wet nights this dish is perfect for the winter.
Cassoulet
is typical of South West France,
though can probably be found throughout Southern France. Even tho the
dish will take a large amount of time to do don't worry the main skill
in making this dish is just keep a eye on the time when roasting.
Servings:
6-8 people
Ready
in: 2h 35min
Preparation:
35min
Cooking
Time: 2hours
Ingredients
-6
Fresh sausages of your choice.(Try and get French ones)
-4
Duck Legs
legs
-6
rashers of Pancetta or dry-cured bacon.
-2
x 400g cans of peeled plum tomatoes, chopped.
-1
bulb of garlic unpeeled and cut in two *When I cut my bulb in two, a lot of the outer skin came away so I
actually removed most of it.
-2
medium red onions peeled and thinly sliced
-1
large red chilly, slit lengthwise Or dried chilly
-3
sprigs of thyme
-500
ml chicken stock
-A
good splash of white wine or red wine or sherry
-2
x 400g cans cannellini beans well rinsed in cold water and drained
-2
tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar (do not worry if you
do not have either)
-Olive oil+salt and pepper
-1
baguette torn into small pieces or similar bread
Method
1.Pour
a splash of olive oil into a large roasting pan on a hob at a high
heat. Add a grind of black pepper, add the duck and sausages and use
it like a huge frying pan to brown the meat. This may take 10 to 15
minutes.
2.Remove
the browned meat and set to one side.
3.Slit
the chilli length-wise but don't disturb the seeds.
4.With
the heat still on, add the herbs, chilli, onions, pancetta, garlic
bulb halves, cut side down. Season with salt and pepper and fry for
5 minutes, stirring now and then.
5.De-glaze
(see methods page)the pan with the wine and the sherry vinegar.
6.Add
the beans and chopped tomatoes and mix well.
7.Arrange
the duck and sausages on the top, duck skin-side up. Pour over the
chicken stock and jiggle the roasting tray to bed everything down.
8.Roast
uncovered for 1.5 hours, checking a few times to see that it's not
drying out.
9.After
1.5 hours, tear the baguette into small pieces and push into the
tray so that the bread soaks up all the fat and juices.
10.Return
to the oven and roast for 30 minutes more.
11.Serve
with green salad or broccoli.
Enjoy x
