Chris's Cassoulet

casserole-poor-mans-cassoulet

Ingredients

  • 10 fat sausages.  I used Toulouse Sausages bought in France.
  • Several Rashers of Bacon plain
  • Several Rahsers of Bacon smoked
  • A good piece of shoulder pork
  • 4 legs of duck
  • black pudding
  • chopped tomatoes
  • tomatoe puree
  • olive oil
  • Dried Cannellinin beans or similar dried beans
  • 3 or more onions
  • several garlic cloves
  • Thyme preferably fresh
  • 4 bay leaves
  • Fresh white breadcumbs
  • salt and freshly milled black pepper
  • vegetable stock or chicken stock
 

Directions

  1. Follow the directions for the beans.  Suggested method.  Soak the beans overnight in cold water and then drain in a colander.
  2. Bake the sausages in an oven on 190C until brown.
  3. Cook the onions and garlic in hot olive oil until browned. 
  4. Cube the meat and bacon, season and brown.
  5. Place the beans in an oven proof casserole dish eg a cast iron casserole. Mix in chopped tomatoes and tomatoe puree with vegetable stock.
  6. Place on the meats and herbs.
  7. Pour in sufficient stock to just cover the sausages.
  8. Place in an oven and cook for a minimum of 2 hours on Gas Mark 1, or 140C.
  9. After 2 hours check the beans are soft and cook for longer if necessary.
  10. Cover the surface of the casserole with breadcrumbs and return to the oven for 1 hour.  Bake uncovered.

Even after cooking for 4 hours plus 1.5 hours for the breadcrumbs the beans were still hard.  When I made this for a second time I cooked the beans in a pressure cooker until tender and then cooked for 2 hours plus 1 hour and it turned out perfect.  I guess a lot depends upon the type of beans used.