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Cassoulet with Chicken, Pork belly & Smoked sausage Cassoulet with Chicken, Pork belly & Smoked sausage

Cassoulet with Chicken, Pork belly & Smoked sausage

Recipe by Ilse van der Merwe - www.thefoodfox.com

Although there are countless renditions of this iconic, traditional French dish from the Languedoc region, we have created a recipe that is slightly more accessible using fresh chicken instead of confit duck, a less time consuming method for soaking the beans, yet still staying true to the roots. A true cassoulet should be splendid in its simplicity and meltingly tender while still retaining some liquid for a loose texture that is far from stodgy. While some recipes insist on a bread crust top, others prefer the dark baked crusts of the pork crackling, poultry skin and sausages. 

This cassoulet is the perfect pairing for Radford Dale’s Vinum Gamay Noir.

Tips: 1) Browning the meat in duck fat gives this dish its quintessential traditional flavour, but can be replaced with olive oil if needed. 2) Seasoning the contents of the pot before the beans are fully cooked can result in tough beans or a longer cooking time, therefor no extra seasoning is added until right at the end.

Ingredients: (serves 8)
500 g small white beans (haricot / cannelini)
2 liters water
2 Tbsp duck fat (or olive oil)
1 kg boneless pork belly, cut into 8 portions
1 kg chicken portions (legs & thighs)
350 g (4 large) smoked Russian sausages, halved
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves (woody stalks discarded)
a few sage leaves, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1,25 liters chicken stock
1 carrot, peeled
1 celery stick
1 bay leaf
salt, to taste

Method:


Add the beans and water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to hot-soak for at least 1 hour. While the beans are soaking, continue with the recipe below.

Preheat the oven to 160 C. In a wide, heavy bottomed large casserole (big enough to feed 8) over moderately high heat, add the duck fat and fry the pork belly in batches, skin side down, until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the pot and do the same with the chicken portions, browning them on all sides. Remove from the pot and brown the sausages. Remove and set aside.

Now add the onions, turning down the heat to medium, and fry until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, tomato paste, thyme and sage, and fry for another minute, then add the wine and chicken stock, stirring to loosen all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.

Strain the soaked beans. Bring the pot with liquid to a simmer, then first add the soaked beans and then the browned meat to the pot, arranging a top layer where the browned meat portions are just above the surface of the liquid.

Carefully transfer the pot to the oven and bake for at least 2,5 hours or until the meat is very tender, the beans are soft and the top is dark brown. Season lightly with salt and pepper, if preferred, then serve warm with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

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