Robert Farrar Capon’s Cassoulet
Updated Sept. 16, 2024
- Total Time
- 3 hours 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound dried Great Northern white beans
- 5cups boiling water
- 1medium onion, studded with 2 whole cloves
- 1carrot, quartered
- 1rib celery, quartered
- 1clove garlic, crushed
- Bouquet garni (½ teaspoon thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley stems, all tied in cheesecloth bag)
- ¼cup salt pork, diced fine
- 2pounds garlic sausage (kielbasa or bauernwurst, for example)
- 2teaspoon salt
- 2tablespoons duck fat or cooking oil
- 1½pounds cubed raw pork or lamb (or ¾ pound of each)
- 2large onions, chopped
- 1cup peeled tomatoes, chopped
- ½cup tomato sauce
- 2tablespoons chopped parsley
- ½cup dry white wine
- ½cup beef stock (from consomme, above) or duck stock (see below)
- Black pepper to taste
- 1½pounds sliced preserved duck meat (see below) or leftover roast duck meat
- Reserved sausage (see above), sliced
- Leftover duck gravy, if any
- 2cups soft, fresh bread crumbs
- ¼cup butter, melted
The Beans
The Ragout
The Cassoulet
Preparation
The Beans
- Step 1
Wash beans, add boiling water and boil 2 minutes, covered. Turn heat off and let stand for 1 hour.
- Step 2
Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove sausage and reserve it. Recover and cook beans for 40 minutes more.
The Ragout
- Step 3
Heat fat in large skillet and brown meat on all sides. Transfer meat to bean mixture, leaving fat behind.
- Step 4
Add onions to skillet and brown lightly, stirring often. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to bean mixture and simmer everything for 1 hour more, adding additional stock if mixture becomes too dry (it should be quite soupy) Remove bouquet garni. Check seasoning.
The Cassoulet
- Step 5
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 6
Spread half of bean and meat mixture in bottom of large casserole. Arrange sliced duck and sausage over it and top with rest of mixture.
- Step 7
Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter and sprinkle half of them over top of dish. Bake for 40 minutes, push crust down into mixture with spoon (gently, so as not to scramble layers), add rest of buttered breadcrumbs and continue cooking until crust reforms. Keep warm until serving time; do not let it dry out.
Private Notes
Comments
This was delicious, though I did change it around based on what I had (and didn't have), and what I wanted from it. Rather than use bacon, I used a meaty ham shank. The ham shank meat, kielbasa, and pork shoulder was plenty. I didn't use any duck at all - heresy, but we didn't miss it one bit. I also added half a head of minced garlic to the ragout. It's the perfect dish for a cold, gray winter evening.