Fit for Company, Fit for a Crowd, Great Leftovers, Freezes Well
As a sausage maker, I was drawn to cassoulet, a glorified version of pork and beans. I scrutinized several recipes and decided that Julia Child’s version in Mastering the Art of French Cooking was the definitive one. At the time, I was the chef at Poulet, a poultry-centric charcuterie in Berkeley, California. It took me close to a week to make the cassoulet. First I had to salt and cure the duck legs for duck confit, then prepare at least two kinds of pork sausage, a mild Toulouse and a smoky French country sausage. Then there was the lamb ragu and the initial cooking of the beans. Finally, everything was combined and baked for several hours, forming a rich bread crumb crust on top.
Was it delicious? Of course! Would I spend five days to make that recipe again?
Probably not.
A few years ago I had the chance to visit Gascony, the home of cassoulet, and sampled several versions. My favorite was made with all pork. When I got home, I came up with a recipe using pork confit and sausage. My version is less time-
consuming than Julia’s, and I love its lovely fresh flavor from the homemade tomato
sauce.
My preferred beans are French heirloom beans called Tarbais, Italian butter beans, or White Emergo beans, but you can substitute more available varieties.
Leftover cassoulet tastes even better reheated the next day.
SERVES: 12, with leftovers
INGREDIENTS:
BEANS:
- 2 pounds (about 5 cups) dried white beans (see Cook’s Notes), picked over and rinsed
- 1 ½-pound piece pancetta
- 1 onion, not peeled
- 1 garlic head, not peeled
- 4 bay leaves
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- ½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
SAUCE:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil or 2 tablespoons fat from Pork Confit (see below)
- 2½ pounds Pork Confit ([>]), or use boneless country-style ribs (see above)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 2 cups homemade pork stock (see [>]), canned low-sodium chicken broth, juices from the Pork Confit, or a combination
- 4 cups Gary’s Heirloom Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
OTHER INGREDIENTS:
- 3 pounds sweet Italian sausage, homemade ([>]; see Cook’s Notes) or store-bought
- 3 pounds boneless country-style ribs, cut into 2-inch cubes (if you haven’t made Pork Confit)
- 2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs
- ¼ cup olive oil or melted fat from Pork Confit
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Beans: Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large heavy casserole or saucepan. Add the beans, return to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the beans soak for 1 hour.
- Drain the beans, discard the liquid, and return the beans to the pot. Add another 4 quarts water and the pancetta, onion, and garlic. Using butcher’s twine, wrap the bay leaves, thyme, and parsley in a bundle (or put them in a little cheesecloth bag) and add to the pot, along with the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the beans are just tender but not falling apart. (Begin sampling the beans after 20 minutes of cooking.) Drain and reserve the liquid. Discard the herb bundle, onion, and garlic. Remove the pancetta and set aside the beans.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: If you are using Pork Confit, go to step 4. If using ribs, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 3-quart casserole or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper and brown them on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- If using Pork Confit, heat the 2 tablespoons fat in a heavy 3-quart casserole or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. If using ribs, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the white wine and boil until reduced by half, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. If using Pork Confit, cook the sauce for 15 minutes. Or, if using ribs, return them to the pot and cook with the sauce for 45 minutes.
- Remove the ribs with a slotted spoon and set aside. Cut the pancetta into ½-inch cubes. Cook in a medium skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. Drain, then add to the sauce. Stir in the tomato sauce and season lightly with salt and pepper (the cassoulet will absorb salt from the sausage and Pork Confit).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the sausages. (They will release fat, so none needs to be added.) Cook until nicely browned on all sides, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and, when the sausages are cool enough to handle, cut them into 2-inch pieces. Set aside, adding any juices to the sauce.
- Spoon one third of the beans into an 8-quart casserole or heavy Dutch oven and add half of the ribs or confit and half of the sausages. Pour over one third of the sauce. Spoon over another third of the beans and arrange the remaining ribs or confit and sausages on top. Pour over a third of the sauce, then add the final layer of beans and the rest of the sauce. If there is not enough sauce to immerse the beans, pour over some of the reserved bean cooking liquid (saving the rest to use in bean soup). Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the surface, then drizzle with the olive oil or the fat.
- Bake the cassoulet for 30 minutes. Using the back of a large spoon, push some of the crispy crumbs down into the beans. Cook for another 30 minutes, until the bread crumbs have become golden and crispy. If not yet crispy, increase the oven temperature to 450°F and cook for 15 minutes more or crisp the bread crumbs under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve.
ALTERNATIVE CUTS:
- Country-style ribs; Boston butt; or assorted fresh and smoked sausages, such as sweet Italian, andouille, smoked country sausage, and garlic
sausage.
COOK’S NOTES:
- While store-bought Great Northern white beans are perfectly acceptable, the better the bean, the better the cassoulet. No matter what you buy, look for beans from the current year’s crop. Better still, buy beans from a specialty bean purveyor, such as Rancho Gordo or Phipps Country Store and Farm.
- Cooking times for different types of bean will vary, so sample the beans often as they cook. The freshness of the bean will also have an effect on cooking time. If you’ve made Pork Confit, there will be a layer of melted fat on top and a layer of congealed juices beneath. Pour the juices (about 2 cups) into a bowl and use them in the cassoulet.
- Use any combination of mild sausages you desire. If you are making your own, there is no need to stuff the meat into casings; simply form it into small patties. Good choices are Maple and Sage Pork Sausage Patties , Sweet Italian Sausage, and Kale and Garlic Sausage .
- Cooked cassoulet can be reheated, covered, in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes, or until warmed through. Portioned into ovenproof casseroles, it can be frozen for up to 2 months and cooked straight from the freezer until the center reaches 130°F on an instant-read thermometer.
