Foodie Thursday

by James Whetlor from Cabrito www.cabrito.co.uk

Cassoulet is a fine, fine thing…

Serves 4 (with seconds…)

Ingredients

For the basic beans

400g dried white haricot beans, soaked overnight in cold water, or use 2x400g tins drain but don’t soak

1 small onion, peeled & whole

1 carrot, peeled & whole

1 piece of bacon rind (as below)

3 bay leaves

4 cloves of garlic, peeled & whole

For the meats & cassoulet

2 kid shanks (approx 400g each), or use lamb shanks

200g whole piece of bacon, skin removed & kept (for beans above)

8 Provencal kid sausages (or lamb, or improvise!)

2 onions, peeled & sliced

6 cloves of garlic, peeled & sliced

1 tin whole tinned tomatoes

3 bay leaves

Handful of breadcrumbs

Olive oil

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

For the base beans:

1. Drain the beans & put them in a large pot with the shanks, onion, carrot, bacon rind, bay leaves & garlic. Cover with water & bring to the boil. Skim off any froth that appears on the surface. Turn the heat down to simmer, then cook until the beans are almost tender.

2. Drain the beans & shanks, keeping the cooking liquor & discarding the flavourings. Remove the shank meat from the bone & roughly chop.

For the meats & cassoulet:

 3. Cook the sliced onions & garlic & soften in 3 tbsp olive oil, then add the tomatoes along with the bay leaves. Cook until sticky thick (about 10 mins). Put to one side.

4. Cut the bacon pieces into thick strips & gently brown in the same pan for about 5 mins together with the sausages & shank meat. Mix the onion & tomato to the meat.

5. Lay half the meat mix in the bottom of a deep casserole dish & cover with half the beans & season. Add another layer of the meat, then the rest of the beans & season again. Top up with some of the cooking liquor from the beans to just cover.

6. Top with half the breadcrumbs & place in a pre heated oven at 140c, gas mark 1. After an hour, break the crust that has formed & stir it back into the cassoulet & top once more with the rest of the breadcrumbs. Return the dish to the oven for a further hour until the crust is golden.

Serve the cassoulet with a green salad.