Cassoulet, a hearty and flavorful French stew, is a timeless classic that has captured the hearts of food enthusiasts worldwide. This delectable dish, traditionally prepared in a casserole, boasts a symphony of tender beans, succulent meats, and a rich, aromatic sauce that will tantalize your taste buds. While there are countless variations of cassoulet, each region in France holds its own unique interpretation, using local ingredients and techniques to create a dish that truly reflects its heritage. In this article, we will delve into the world of cassoulet, exploring the secrets behind this beloved stew and guiding you through the steps to create an unforgettable cassoulet with fresh beans, ensuring that your culinary journey is a resounding success.
Let's cook with our recipes!
CASSOULET WITH FRESH BEANS
Provided by Molly O'Neill
Categories dinner, weekday, soups and stews, appetizer
Time 3h
Yield Six servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Combine the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Set aside. Grill the chicken drumsticks over hot coals until lightly charred, about 3 minutes on each side. Skin. Brush with 1/2 the roasted garlic puree. Lay a piece of foil over the grill. Put the chicken on the foil. Cover the grill and continue cooking until the meat is opaque at the bone, about 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
- Combine the remaining olive oil, leeks, roasted onions and garlic in a heavy-bottom pot. Saute over medium-high heat until the leeks begin to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the navy beans, wine, broth, cloves, bouquet garni and tomatoes. Simmer until the beans are tender, about 2 to 3 hours. Take out 1 cup of the broth and pour it into a glass or ceramic bowl. Set aside to cool slightly. Whisk in the remaining roasted garlic puree. Set aside.
- Blanch the fava beans in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain. Rinse under cold running water. Peel off their outer skins. Set aside.
- Add the carrots and chicken to the cassoulet and simmer for 10 additional minutes. Turn off the heat, whisk in the roasted garlic sauce and add the fava beans. Let the fava beans sit in the hot liquid for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Divide among 4 bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
WHITE BEAN CASSOULET
Provided by Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 1h15m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 26
Steps:
- Heat the oil in a medium stock pot. Add the vegetables to the oil, stir frequently, and cook until lightly brown around the edges. Add remaining ingredients, except sausage, 1 at a time. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in sausage and allow to cook for 10 more minutes. Place in bowls, spoon 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sausage into each bowl. Serve with Garlic-Parmesan Crostini.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the sausage with salt, to taste, and carefully place in a single layer across the skillet. Cook the sausage for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Turn the sausages and repeat on opposite side. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat. Brush the garlic oil on the top and bottom of each slice of bread. Place the bread in a single layer over a sheet pan. Sprinkle each slice with parmesan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on the middle oven rack until bread browns over the top. Serve.
TRADITIONAL CASSOULET
Cassoulet is a traditional French bean stew with pork, duck confit, and sausage. It takes some time to prepare, but it's very doable even if it's your first time!
Provided by Sally Vargas
Categories Entree Dinner Ingredient
Time 11h55m
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Preheat the oven: Set an oven rack to the center and preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Bake the cassoulet: Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and set it in the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes without opening the lid.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1005 kcal, Carbohydrate 90 g, Cholesterol 136 mg, Fiber 21 g, Protein 62 g, SaturatedFat 14 g, Sodium 3226 mg, Sugar 7 g, Fat 42 g, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
RAYMOND BLANC'S CASSOULET
Raymond Blanc's rustic cassoulet is rich and warming - slow cooking at its best
Provided by Raymond Blanc
Categories Dinner, Main course
Time 5h30m
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- To cut the meats, roll up the pork rind like a Swiss roll. With the seam underneath, use a very sharp knife to cut the roll across into thin slices, then chop the rolled-up slices across into dice. Chop the bacon into small cubes (lardons). Cut the garlic sausage into 1cm thick slices.
- Drain the soaked beans and discard the soaking water. Tip the beans into a large saucepan, add the diced pork rind and lardons and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil and blanch for 15-20 minutes. Drain the beans, rind and lardons into a colander, and discard the cooking water.
- Roughly chop the celery, onion and carrot. Peel the garlic cloves but leave them whole. Cut each tomato into eight wedges. (You never see tomatoes in a traditional cassoulet, but chef Raymond Blanc likes them for their colour and sweetness, so he puts a couple in.) Preheat the oven to 120C/fan 100C. (If cooking in a gas oven, use mark 2.)
- Heat the goose fat or olive oil in a 26cm flameproof casserole or deep overproof sauté pan over a low heat and sweat the celery, onion, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bouquet garni and cook slowly to get a sugary caramelisation (about 5 minutes). Add the sausage, beans, pork rind and lardons and pour in 1.2 litres/2 pints water. Bring to the boil, skim off the scum, then add the salt, pepper, clove and lemon juice.
- Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring every hour. At the end of this time, the beans will be soft and creamy in texture and the juices should have thickened. You may need to cook it for longer than 2 hours (say up to 2½ hours) to get to this stage - it depends
- Remove the cassoulet from the oven. Bury the duck legs in the beans and sprinkle over the goose fat or olive oil, breadcrumbs and garlic. Return to the oven and cook for a further 2 hours. Serve the cassoulet in bowls, sprinkled with chopped parsley.
CHEF JOHN'S CASSOULET
Cassoulet takes a lot of time and ingredients (some hard to find) and uses lots of pots and pans. So why make it? That's easy. Cassoulet is one of the most delicious dishes you'll ever have. Plus, it's great for honing your observational skills, since no two cassoulet are the same, and the times I give are only a guide.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Main Dish Recipes Pork Pork Chop Recipes Baked
Time 12h12m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- Rinse soaked beans and drain.
- Pour broth into a large pot. Add chopped pancetta, bones from duck confit, and the drained beans. Tie bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme sprigs, and garlic into a small square of cheesecloth to create the bouquet garni; add to the pot. Stir. Bring to a simmer over high heat; skim foamy scum that forms, if desired. Reduce heat to low until beans are almost tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Sprinkle pork pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; brown the pork pieces, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add sausage to the skillet and cook in the same oil, turning until nicely browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut sausages in half and transfer to bowl with pork pieces.
- Remove fat and skin from duck confit and add them to the same skillet. Cook over medium heat until fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Transfer all fat and browned pieces from the skillet to a mixing bowl. Add melted butter. Stir in bread crumbs and chopped parsley; stir until mixture looks like damp sand. Mix in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup broth.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Place onions, carrots, and celery in the same skillet used to brown the meats; add pinch of salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until onions are translucent and mixture turns golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook and stir until tomato paste starts to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, 3 or 4 minutes. Pour in white wine; cook and stir until most of the wine evaporates, 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Drain beans over a large bowl to retain all the cooking liquid. Remove bones and bouquet garni.
- Place drained beans in large shallow baking dish or cast iron skillet (about 12 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep). Stir in cooked vegetables and about 1 cup broth. Add pork pieces and distribute evenly among the beans. Top with the shredded duck confit. Nestle the sausage halves into the bean mixture.
- Ladle cooking liquid into the baking dish until beans are nearly submerged. Spread bread crumb mixture evenly over the top but don't press into the liquid. Use your fingertips to make gentle indentations on the crumb surface for better browning.
- Bake in preheated oven until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and create a small "well" in the center of the cassoulet crust. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid (or as needed) into the well to rehydrate mixture. Use a fork to gently poke into the cassoulet to ensure the liquid is fairly evenly distributed but try not to disturb the crusty surface.
- Continue baking until cassoulet surface is crispy and caramelized, the meat is fork tender, and the beans are creamy and tender, about 30 to 45 more minutes.
- Serve in large bowls with a spoonful or 2 of hot cooking liquid. Top with chopped fresh parsley.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 712.1 calories, Carbohydrate 64 g, Cholesterol 107.1 mg, Fat 28.7 g, Fiber 2.6 g, Protein 44.8 g, SaturatedFat 10.3 g, Sodium 2342.6 mg, Sugar 6.2 g
SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN "CASSOULET"
An easy Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet that can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Categories Bean Onion Tomato Sauté Quick & Easy Casserole/Gratin Sausage Winter Parsley Gourmet
Yield Serves 2
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a medium skillet cook sausages in oil over moderate heat, turning them, until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 8 minutes, and transfer to paper towels to drain.
- In fat remaining in skillet cook onions and garlic, stirring, until golden, and stir in herbs (including bay leaf), scallions or parsley, tomatoes with juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Boil mixture, stirring, 5 minutes. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add sausage and beans to tomato mixture and cook, stirring, until heated through. Discard bay leaf and keep "cassoulet" warm, covered.
- Make topping:
- In a small skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté bread until pale golden. Stir in garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and sauté, stirring, 1 minute.
- Transfer "cassoulet" to a 1-quart serving dish and cover evenly with topping.
HOW TO MAKE CASSOULET
This is the world's greatest baked bean recipe, and a classic French dish; it's almost the national dish. It's perfect for a cold winter night.
Provided by Chef John
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European French
Time 11h
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 26
Steps:
- Soak Great Northern beans in water in a large bowl overnight. Drain beans and place into a large soup pot. Push whole clove into the 1/2 onion and add to beans; stir in garlic, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and 10 cups water. Bring beans to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until beans have started to soften, about 1 hour. Drain beans and reserve the cooking liquid, removing and discarding onion with clove and bay leaf. Transfer beans to a large mixing bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Cook bacon in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium heat until lightly browned and still limp, about 5 minutes. Stir celery, carrots, and 1/2 diced onion into bacon; season with salt. Cook and stir vegetables in the hot bacon fat until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat; brown sausage link halves and duck confit in the hot oil until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
- Season vegetable-bacon mixture with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, cracked black pepper, and herbes de Provence; pour in diced tomatoes. Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until juice from tomatoes has nearly evaporated and any browned bits of food on the bottom of pot have dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir mixture into beans.
- Spread half the bean mixture into the heavy Dutch oven and place duck-sausage mixture over the beans; spread remaining beans over meat layer. Pour just enough of the reserved bean liquid into pot to reach barely to the top of the beans, reserving remaining liquid. Bring bean cassoulet to a simmer on stovetop and cover Dutch oven with lid.
- Bake bean cassoulet in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add 4 crushed garlic cloves, panko crumbs, and parsley to the melted butter. Season with salt and black pepper, and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over crumbs. Stir to thoroughly combine.
- Uncover cassoulet and check liquid level; mixture should still have several inches of liquid. If beans seem dry, add more of the reserved bean liquid. Spread half the crumb mixture evenly over the beans and return to oven. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. There should be about 2 or 3 inches of liquid at the bottom of the pot; if mixture seems dry, add more reserved bean mixture. Sprinkle remaining half the bread crumb mixture over cassoulet.
- Turn oven heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake cassoulet, uncovered, until crumb topping is crisp, edges are bubbling, and the bubbles are slow and sticky, 20 to 25 more minutes. Serve beans on individual plates and top each serving with a piece of duck and several sausage pieces.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 524.3 calories, Carbohydrate 54 g, Cholesterol 81 mg, Fat 23.7 g, Fiber 11.1 g, Protein 30.9 g, SaturatedFat 8.7 g, Sodium 1208.1 mg, Sugar 3.3 g
CASSOULET
This slow-cooked casserole of white beans and several kinds of meat has long been considered the pinnacle of regional French home cooking. It takes planning (you'll need to find all the ingredients), time and a good deal of culinary stamina. But the voluptuous mix of aromatic beans surrounding rich chunks of duck confit, sausages, roasted pork and lamb and a crisp salt pork crust is well worth the effort. Serve this with a green salad. It doesn't need any other accompaniment, and you wouldn't have room for it, anyway. This recipe is part of The New Essentials of French Cooking, a guide to definitive dishes every modern cook should master. Buy the book.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories dinner, project, main course
Time 2h
Yield 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 31
Steps:
- The night before cooking, marinate the meat and soak the beans. For meat: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except fat and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight. For beans: In a large bowl, combine beans, 1 teaspoon salt and enough cold water to cover by 4 inches. Cover and let sit overnight.
- The next day, roast the meat: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pour fat over meat in the bowl and toss to coat. Spread meat in one even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each piece to encourage browning (use two pans if necessary). Top meat with any fat left in bowl. Roast until browned, about 1 hour, then turn pieces, cover with foil, and continue to roast until soft, another 1 1/2 hours. Remove meat from baking sheet, then scrape up all browned bits stuck to the pan. Reserve fat and browned bits.
- Meanwhile, cook the beans: Drain beans, add them to a large stockpot and cover with 2 inches water. Add bouquet garni, celery, carrot, 2 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons salt and the pepper. Stick whole clove into the folds of the onion half and add that as well. Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until beans are cooked through, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding garlic sausage after 30 minutes. When beans are cooked, remove bouquet garni and aromatics, including vegetables. Reserving cooking liquid, drain the beans and sausage.
- While beans are cooking, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add salt pork. Simmer for 30 minutes, remove and let cool. Cut off skin, then slice pork into very thin pieces and reserve.
- Heat a very large skillet (at least 12 inches) over medium heat and add a drizzle of duck or other fat. Add fresh pork sausages and cook until well browned on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove to a plate and reserve, leaving any sausage fat in skillet.
- In same skillet over medium-high heat, add 1/4 cup of the reserved fat and the browned bits from the roasted meat. Add diced onions, carrots and celery, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add 9 whole garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, another 2 to 4 minutes. Add tomato purée, season with salt to taste, and simmer until thickened to a saucelike consistency, 5 to 10 minutes, if necessary. Add cooked beans and stir to combine. Remove from heat and reserve.
- Assemble the cassoulet: Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large Dutch oven, lay salt pork pieces in an even layer to cover the bottom of the pot. Add a scant third of the bean and garlic sausage mixture, spreading evenly. Top with half of the roasted meat pieces, 2 pork sausages and 2 duck legs. Add another scant third of the bean mixture, and top with remaining meat, sausages and duck legs. Top with remaining beans, spreading them to the edges and covering all meat. Pour reserved bean liquid along the edges of the pot, until liquid comes up to the top layer of beans but does not cover. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and drizzle with 1/4 cup duck fat.
- Bake until crust is lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Use a large spoon to lightly crack the crust; the bean liquid will bubble up. Use the spoon to drizzle the bean liquid all over the top of the crust. Return to oven and bake 1 hour more, cracking the crust and drizzling with the bean liquid every 20 minutes, until the crust is well browned and liquid is bubbling. (The total baking time should be 1 1/2 hours.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly, then serve.
CASSOULET
Layers of ingredients yield layers of flavor in this iconic casserole from southwestern France. From start to finish, this dish takes about 18 hours to prepare, although most of it is unattended.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Meat & Poultry Pork Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Bundle parsley, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, celery, and leek to form a bouquet garni, wrapping kitchen twine around the aromatics several times to secure -- which ensures easy retrieval of the ingredients after they've infused the cooking liquid with flavor.
- Warm oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add fatback or pork belly, and cook until it is golden on all sides and has begun to render its fat, about 5 minutes. Add pork shoulder, and cook until golden on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
- Stick clove in half the onion, and add to pot along with bouquet garni, ham hock, carrot, tomatoes and juice, and beans. Add enough cold water to cover by 1 to 2 inches (about 8 cups). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer gently until beans are tender throughout but not falling apart, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat. Discard carrot, onion, and bouquet garni. Transfer ham hock to a cutting board, reserving liquid, and let cool slightly. Trim meat and gelatin from the bone, dicing and returning them to the pot. Discard the bone.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rub cut side of garlic clove over the entire inner surface of a small (5-quart) Dutch oven or other ovenproof vessel. This allows a subtle though distinct garlic flavor to infuse the resulting cassoulet.
- Using a wire skimmer or a slotted spoon, place half the bean mixture in the Dutch oven, spreading it evenly. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot.
- Arrange the duck confit and sausage on top of the beans in the Dutch oven to create a single, snug layer. Spoon the remaining beans over the meat, reserving the cooking liquid.
- Add enough cooking liquid so the beans are almost, but not quite, submerged. Reserve the remaining liquid. Transfer pot to oven and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours. Check the liquid every 30 minutes to make sure it is no more than 1/2 inch below the beans, and add liquid or water as necessary. Do not stir.
- After the cassoulet has cooked for 2 hours, toss bread and butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over cassoulet, and return to oven until beans are tender and bread is golden, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Before serving, let cassoulet stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to cool and to allow the beans to absorb some of the liquid. You can refrigerate cassoulet in an airtight container for up to 3 days; rewarm in an oven heated to 300 degrees.
WHITE BEAN CASSOULET FOR THE SLOW COOKER
This dish has a lovely scent of thyme and a robust stew like consistency. Uses a 5 qt slower cooker. It comes from an old issue of Cooking Light Magazine
Provided by Debi9400
Categories Pork
Time 8h20m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrot slices, parsnip slices and garlic. Cover and cook 5 minutes; stirring occasionally.
- Place cooked mixture into the slow cooker. Add beans and next 6 ingredients (through Bay leaf). Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Remove Bay leaf.
- Sauté sausage until browned. Drain off fat.
- Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and melted butter in a small bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Stir breadcrumb mixture and cooked sausage into bean mixture; sprinkle with parsley.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 594.3, Fat 29.1, SaturatedFat 11, Cholesterol 57, Sodium 1181.7, Carbohydrate 55.2, Fiber 11.9, Sugar 9.2, Protein 30
Tips:
- Soak the beans overnight: This will help them cook more evenly and reduce the cooking time.
- Use a variety of beans: This will give your cassoulet a more complex flavor and texture.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with different meats: Cassoulet is traditionally made with pork and sausage, but you can also use lamb, duck, or chicken.
- Use a good quality broth: The broth is the foundation of your cassoulet, so make sure it's flavorful and rich.
- Cook the cassoulet low and slow: This will allow the flavors to develop and meld together.
- Serve the cassoulet with a crusty bread: This is the perfect way to soak up all the delicious sauce.
Conclusion:
Cassoulet is a hearty and flavorful dish that is perfect for a winter meal. It is a great way to use up leftover meat and beans, and it can be easily tailored to your own taste. So next time you're looking for a comforting and satisfying meal, give cassoulet a try. You won't be disappointed!
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
You'll also love