Makes 6 servings (serving a crowd?)
- 1 lb dried white beans
- ½ lb thick lamb steak
- ½ a duck
- ½ lb meaty bacon ends
- ½ lb onions, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ lb carrots, roughly chopped
- a ham hock, fresh or smoked
- ½ lb garlicky sausage (see discussion under quantity cookery), cut into 1" lengths
- 1 lb pork butt or ham
- 3 Tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 lb tomatoes (whole canned are ok)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 4 Tablespoons butter
Special equipment
- none
Method
- Soak beans overnight. Rinse.
Brown both sides of the duck and lamb under your grill. Do not cook through. Cut the lamb into 1 inch chunks and quarter the duck. Reserve.
In a large stewpot, brown the bacon. Remove and reserve. Now brown your onions and garlic in the bacon fat. Add 2 quarts of water, the meats, carrots, herbs, and all the ingredients except the tomatoes, crumbs and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and let it cook an hour, stirring occassionally. Stir in tomatoes and cook for another half hour.
In a frying pan, brown the breadcrumbs in the butter. Sprinkle on top of the stew (do not stir in), uncover, and simmer for another half hour.
Notes
- This is not a traditional Cassoulet: it's not roasted for hours in the fireplace in a clay cassole pot nor reheated day after day after day. We’re not using confit (that is, cured and deep-fried in its own fat) goose parts leftover from foie gras, nor do we care what beans are used. This recipe is the outcome of a series of experiments to test the flavours and proportions of meat and beans, vegetables and seasonings before multiplying the proportions for cauldron cookery. It is a simplified cassoulet that can be made in a few hours.
