Cassoulet
I have some interesting family roots that I’m sure have an impact on my culinary journey. On my father’s side, they’re Scottish. When my great-great-grandfather Ramsay (that would be hilarious if I’m actually related to Gordon somehow…!) came to Canada in the mid-1800’s, he settled near Québec city. My mother’s descendants originated from France although some books record them back to Surrey, England as early as the 11th century. When her ancestors traveled across the Atlantic in the early 1800’s, they landed in the lower St-Lawrence River. Having said that, I grew up eating different dishes from both my parents’ family’s background.
When it comes to my mother’s family, I experienced so many French dishes like Pâté & Foie gras, Choucroute, Soupe à l’Onion, Crêpes, Coq au Vin, Boeuf Bourguignon, Poulet Chasseur (Hunter Chicken), Raclette, Baguettes & croissants, Salade Niçoise, Quiche Lorraine, Gratin dauphinoise, Ratatouille, Baba au rhum, Madeleines, Bûche de Noël, Éclair, Saint Honoré, and many, many more.
A dish that my grandmother was making during the cold months of the year was Cassoulet! It was simple and yet amazing!
What is a Cassoulet? It’s a French casserole that originated in southern France during the Middle Ages. It contains a variety of different meats which is typically cured salt pork, sausage, chicken or duck and lamb along with white beans, vegetables, tomatoes and herbs such as Herbes de Provence, thyme leaves, parsley, etc. It’s French so of course there is some wine in the dish… Depending on what you have on hand, some meats can be omitted.
I’d like to mention a few things about some of the ingredients…
– Let’s start with beans. You don’t have to soak them the night before BUT soaking beans overnight helps to reduce the cooking time plus keeps them tender as they cook. After they’re done, you can collect the broth for later use in the recipe – I prefer using strictly chicken broth so it’s your call.
– Now the sausage… Preferably, saucisses Toulouse is the way to go to keep this Cassoulet recipe as traditional as possible. On the other hand, most of the time, this kind of sausage is not available in your area (it wasn’t in mine). The two best substitutes for this is Kielbasa or Garlic Sausage. When cutting it, we need roughly 2-inch pieces cut in half – the same applies for the lamb after trimming the excess fat.
– The last ingredient I want to mention is the drumsticks. Previously when making this casserole, I always used 4 of them but this time, I decided to use 5 instead… Don’t! There’s not enough space in the Dutch oven to handle that many.
This is the perfect comfort food recipe to make this fall. Originally a pheasant dish, this Cassoulet is nothing fancy but has incredible flavor! With a beautiful mix of ingredients, this is a delicious casserole to serve to your family…
Bon Appétit!
Here are more scrumptious French recipes for you to try…
– Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise
– Salade Lyonnaise ~ Lyonnaise Salad
– Blanquette de Veau
– Croque-monsieur Montréal Style
– Sole Meunière
– Steak Tartare
– Mille-Feuille
and for even more International recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • International
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Cassoulet
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. (2 1/2 cups) dry white kidney beans (substitute navy, Great Northern or cannellini), soaked overnight in plain water
- 1 tsp. ground Himalayan pink salt, and more for seasoning
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 2 tbsp. duck fat tips & tricks
- 8 ounces cured salt pork, cubed
- 1 lb. kielbasa sausage (substitute saucisses de Toulouse or garlic sausage), casing removed and cut into 2-inch pieces and halved Footnote
- 4 large chicken drumsticks
- 2 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder, fat removed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onions, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups celery, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces tips & tricks
- 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 4 large vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tbsp. Herbes de Provence tips & tricks
- 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Sauvignon
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1 cup Panko® breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp. parsley, chopped tips & tricks
Directions
- Drain the soaked beans, transfer to a large pot and pour in enough cold water to cover the beans by 2-inches; add salt.
- Bring it to a boil and when it gets there, reduce the heat; simmer for 45 minutes, skimming off the foam. When cooked, drain them well and if desired, collect the broth; set aside.
- Season lamb cubes and drumsticks with salt and pepper; set aside
- Preheat oven to 350ºF/177ºC
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add duck fat and when it gets hot, add cured salt pork. Cook until brown, stirring continuously, about 5 to 6 minutes. When it’s done, scoop it up into a large bowl, using a slotted spoon; set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the sausage pieces; sauté until brown. Scoop the meat out of the pot and add it to the pork.
- Return to the Dutch oven and add drumsticks. Cook until brown all around and no longer pink. Transfer the drumsticks to the bowl along with the other meats.
- Add lamb cubes to the pot and sauté until nicely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scoop them up with a slotted spoon, add to the bowl as well and set aside.
- Skim off most of the fat from the pot to a bowl, leaving about 2 tbsp.; set aside. Add onions and sauté until just translucent, about 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to dislodge any brown bits. To this, add carrots and celery; sauté them for 2 minutes. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté for only 1 minute. Add chopped tomatoes and stir to combine before seasoning with Herbes de Provence, thyme leaves and freshly ground black pepper; stir until mixed.
- Return all the meat to the pot including any accumulated juices. Add beans, white wine and chicken broth or broth from the beans if preferred. With the back of a spoon, press it down to cover the beans with the liquid.
- Make a little well in the center and add our bay leaves; cover back with the beans. Spoon about 2 to 3 tbsp. of the reserved fat on top, crack more pepper and add salt.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 3 hours.
- Half an hour later, press down again on the beans to submerge them to prevent from drying out; continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a bowl, combine Panko breadcrumbs with fresh chopped parsley; mix well and set aside.
- When 30 minutes is up, evenly sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top. Return the pot to the oven and cook for 1 hour.
- 60 minutes later, gently press down on the breadcrumbs to help absorb some liquid. Return the pot to the oven for the remaining hour.
- When the time is up, remove from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving
Notes
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