Cassoulet

serves 4

 

INGREDIENTS :

• 1 garlic sausage

• 300 g (3/4 lb) smoked sausages

• 200 g chicken breast

• 250 g (½ lb) fresh pork rind

• 600 g (almost 1 ½ lb) boneless lamb shoulder

• 400 g (almost 1 lb) lamb neck

• 4 onions, peeled

• 2 cloves

• 800 g (3 cups) dried beans (lingot)

• 1 carrot, peeled

• 8 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1 bouquet garni (bundle of aromatic herbs)

• Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper

• 800 g (6 cups) duck confit and its own fat

• 3 large tomatoes

• 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley

• 100 g breadcrumbs

INSTRUCTIONS :

• Stick 1 clove in 2 onions. Crush the garlic cloves. Wash the parsley.

• Put the beans in a large casserole dish, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain and rinse them with cold water before putting them back in the large, empty casserole dish with the carrot, 2 clove-studded onions, 4 garlic cloves, fresh pork rind and the bouquet garni. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Season with a little salt and let simmer for 1 hour.

• Add the raw garlic sausage and the sausages. Cook for another 30 minutes. Remove the casserole from the heat and set aside.

• Blanch the lean chicken breast in a casserole dish with cold water, over high heat. When the water boils, drain the chicken breast and set aside.

• Peel the tomatoes, remove seeds, crush them and set aside. Mince the 2 remaining onions. Cut the shoulder, neck and breast into chunks.

• In a frying pan over high heat, pour 45 ml (3 tbsp.) of the duck confit fat to brown the pieces of meat. Remove the pieces of meat from the pan and set them aside. Reserve the remaining duck confit fat.

• Brown the confit and set it aside. Sweat the minced onions in the same frying pan for 3 minutes then incorporate the tomatoes and the 4 other crushed garlic cloves. Stir in 125 ml (4 oz) of the cooking juices from the beans, then cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Drain the beans but keep cooking juices. Remove the bouquet garni, onions and pork rind. Set aside the pork rinds.

• Preheat the oven to 120°C (240°F).

• Add the beans to the tomato fondue and mix. Cut the garlic sausage into slices 1 cm (½ in) thick.

• Line the bottom of an oven-proof casserole dish with the pork rind. Add the meats, sausages and beans in alternating layers. Finish with a layer of beans and drizzle 45 ml (3 tbsp.) of confit fat. The cassoulet must be topped with enough liquid to cover. Put the casserole in the oven and cook for 3 ½ hours, adding cooking juices from the beans if needed.

• Chop the parsley and stir together with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the cassoulet at the three-quarter cooking point. Return to the oven uncovered to brown the surface. Serve immediately.