Toulouse Cassoulet
Pair with Syrah 2021
- Serves
- 10
- Prep
- 8 hrs
- Cook
- 3 hrs 30 min
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My excitement is always as intense when I see this steaming dish bursting with duck confit, and creamy white beans. I enjoyed Cassoulet quite often in France as it is a very popular dish and very comforting during fall and winter. In my family it was a tradition to eat Cassoulet on a cold and rainy Sunday surrounding with a nice fire and some good wines.
Cassoulet is a hearty peasant dish of white beans, mixed with different types of meat according to the region where it is made.
Legend has it that cassoulet, the classic dish of South-West France, was invented to fortify soldiers fighting off English invaders.
The first cassoulet was made in Castelnaudary, in Occitanie, which was under siege from the English during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). The story goes that the townspeople gathered up all the ingredients they could find and made a large stew to fortify their defenders, who won the battle and saved the city from occupation.
Castelnaudary cassoulet is prepared with duck confit, pork shoulder and sausage, but in other areas the ingredients vary. For example, in Carcassonne, it will typically be made with mutton, while the Toulouse version contains duck confit and Toulouse sausage and is topped with breadcrumbs.
The type of bean used also varies: in southern areas, cassoulet is made with the Tarbais bean, grown at the foot of the Pyrénées. Further north, flageolet beans are the standard ingredient.
I'm sharing with you my favorite version of Cassoulet which is from Toulouse. Some ingredients need to be substituted but the result is very similar to what you can find in France.
Ingredients
- 2 lb (1 kg) dried Tarbais beans (1.25 litres/5 cups) or Great Northern and cannellini beans make fine substitutes
- 1 lb (454 g) onions, peeled (about 3 onions)
- 3 cloves
- 1 lb (454 g) salt pork
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 bouquet garni (bundle of bay, thyme and parsley tied together with string)
- 1 lb (454 g) tomatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1/4 lb (115 g) duck fat
- 1 cup of dry white wine
- 8 Toulouse sausages or Italian sausages
- 1 garlic sausage
- 4 or 5 confit duck legs already made
- 1 lb (454 g) slab bacon, cut into lardons (1-cm/1/4-inch sticks)
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
Directions
8 steps- 01
Place the beans in a large bowl and add cold water to cover. Soak for about 4 hours or overnight.
- 02
Insert the cloves in an onion.
- 03
Drain the beans, reserving the soaking water. Place the beans in a large saucepan with 2 litres (4 cups) fresh cold water, the salt pork, onion, carrots, 4 cloves of garlic and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently until the beans are tender, about 2 hours. Drain and set aside. Dice the carrots. Set aside.
- 04
Finely chop the remaining onions and garlic.
- 05
In another saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the onions, garlic and tomatoes in the duck fat. Ladle in about 5 cups of reserved soaking water and 1 cup of white wine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 1 hour. Add the sausages and duck legs. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the sausages. Slice and set aside.
- 06
Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown the lardons. Drain and set aside.
- 07
With the rack in the middle position, preheat the broiler.
- 08
Present the hot beans, lardons, vegetable mixture, diced carrots and duck legs in a large, ovenproof earthenware baking dish. Don't stir, or the beans will become mushy. Bake 15-20 min at 375F, then top with sausage slices and dust with breadcrumbs. Broil until the breadcrumbs are golden.