Cassoulet

Name: Cassoulet
Yield: serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley; 3 sprigs thyme; 1 sprig rosemary; 1 dried bay leaf; 1 celery stalk, halved crosswise; 1 leek, dark-green part only, washed well; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 ounces fatback or uncured pork belly, cut into small dice; 1/2 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 whole clove; 1 medium onion, unpeeled; 1 smoked ham hock (3/4 to 1 pound); 1 medium carrot, peeled and halved crosswise; 3 whole peeled tomatoes (from a 14.5-ounce can), coarsely chopped, with juice; 2 cups dried navy beans (3/4 pound), soaked for 12 hours (page 395); 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved; 2 Duck Confit Legs (page 232), skin removed, separated at the joint; 1/2 pound French garlic sausage, cut into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons; 4 cups very coarse fresh bread crumbs, preferably from a rustic loaf; 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

January 26, 2012

A specialty of the southwest of France, cassoulet—named for cassole, the oval earthenware dish in which it was made—is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew made with white beans, meats (most often pork and sausages), and duck or goose confit. The dish is time consuming—it can take an entire day from start to finish—but is manageable when you break it into three tasks, which can be spaced out over a few days. The first step is to prepare Duck Confit (see page 232). Next the beans (which have to be soaked overnight) are cooked on the stove. Then the confit and beans are layered in a pot, along with pork and sausage, and baked for about three hours.

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