Cheap and cheerful cassoulet
Ingredients
Crostini
- 1 good baquette
- really good olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp chopped thyme
Cassoulet
- 3 cups white beans
- 2 large carrots, small chop
- 2 sweet onions, small chop
- 1 /2 stalk celery, small chop
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 leek sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 big sprigs of thyme
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1 smoked pork hock
- 1 lb pork shoulder, cubed
- 4 pork sausages
- 4 chicken legs (spilt with thighs)
- 1 smoked hard sausage sliced thin
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 onions sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 14oz can whole organic tomatoes
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- a few dashes of hot pepper sauce
- salt to taste
Directions
Crostini
- Slice the baguette 1/4 inch thick and toss in a large bowl with the oil, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper.
- Lay out on a baking tray and lightly toast until barely golden set aside.
Cassoulet
- Soak the white beans in water overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut the onion, celery, carrots and leeks into 1/2 inch mire poix (reserving one layer of leek for the bouqet garni). Tie together the bay leaves, parsley, and thyme with the leek, smash the garlic . Toss all of this in a pot with the pork hock and pre soaked beans. Cover with water and season lightly.
- Bring to a boil then simmer until slightly tender (about 1 hour). Skim any scum that comes to the top.
- Remove the pork hock pick apart and chop the meat and set aside keep the beans as they are. Season lightly.
- Lightly salt and pepper the meat (except for the smoked sausage) and brown in a large pot or dutch oven set on medium high with the butter and oil. Set aside to drain on some paper towel.
- Add the smoked sausage, onions and garlic to the pot and stir until soft. Add the tomato paste and cook out for 2 mins. Add the red wine and the can of tomatoes.
- Add back in all of the browned meat as well as the chopped pork hock.
- Add the contents of the bean pot. Make sure the beans are covered with liquid (just add cold water if theyre not).
- Bring to a boil and cover with a lid, place in the oven and bake for about 11/2 hours.
- Check midway to to see if the beans need anymore water. At this point you can add the syrup, tabasco and season give it a stir and put it back in the oven.
- During the last 5 minutes of cooking lay the crostini on top of the cassoulet and pop back in the oven uncovered.
- Take out and serve drizzling with good olive oil.
