Cassoulet is a dish from the southwest of France, more precisely from the Languedoc region. For the record, it used to be "a poor man's dish" because it was cooked for days, in the fireplace during the winter. With beans harvested from the vegetable garden during the summer, anything and everything was added to give it flavor. Sausages and meats were really a matter for the richest, but that was a matter of the time. Today it is a dish that is both gourmet and traditional, which is enjoyed all year round, and not just in winter, by people of all social classes during family gatherings and even among friends. It is a dish made with white beans also called "lingot", pork, duck and many other elements that you will discover in this article. To succeed with this recipe you will have to sacrifice a lot of time because it is a dish that requires intense and meticulous cooking.
INGREDIENTS
- 500g of white beans
- 100g pork rind
- 4 cloves of garlic
- Duck conflict
- 400g of Toulouse sausage
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bouquet garni of dye and bay leaf
- 300g fresh pork belly
- 300g smoked pork belly
- 2 onions
- 1 carrot
- 3 cloves
- 1 tbsp pepper
- salt
Total time
Preparation: the day before Resting: – Cooking: 4 hours
INSTRUCTIONS
1
When you have cassoulet on the menu, be sure to soak your bean seeds overnight before the day of cooking. This will allow the bean to soften just a little bit before cooking.
2
When cooking, drain the beans then put them in a saucepan. Add the bouquet garni, 1 onion studded with cloves, the blended garlic, pepper and salt then a good quantity of water and place on the heat.
3
While the beans are on the fire, in another pan, put the pork rinds and water. Bring to a boil, drain and pour into the pan of beans. Let's go for 1h30 of cooking. ⇒ Today, cassoulet is almost impossible without beans, yet legend has it that, at the time, before Christopher Columbus brought them back from America, this recipe was made with beans, but it's funny how today we can't imagine cassoulet without beans .
4
Brown the duck breasts in a frying pan. It contains a lot of fat, extract this fat and then grill the smoked and fresh pork breasts, add the other chopped onion and the tomato puree, stir and simmer for 5 minutes then deglaze with the bean broth for 3 minutes.
5
Then roast the sausages in the oven with a little water. When they are just the right amount of brown, remove them.
6
It's time to gather all the elements of the cassoulet in a casserole dish, the meats, the bean broth, and the sausages; add more salt if everything is not salty enough for your taste, pepper and bake for 2h30 at 130 degrees. This will allow it to soften well and above all pleasant to eat ⇒ The cassole is a handmade bowl made from terracotta, designed for the cassoulet, hence the name cassole. But if you don't have one, use your saucepans and/or plates. ⇒ Cassoulet being a traditional dish, during cooking in the oven, since it will form a crust, tradition would have it that we break this crust 7 times, don't ask yourself why, it remains a tradition! But you can skip this step. ⇒ Being in the oven, the cassoulet must above all not be without broth. Don't hesitate to add the rest of the bean broth that you have reserved instead.
7
After this step, your dish is ready, you can serve it and enjoy it immediately. 
The little tip for a better taste is to serve in a small casserole dish. Let it sit overnight and reheat it the next day in the microwave before tasting it. "Hot dishes are better when they are reheated the next day" they say. Enjoy!
Note:
It is important to note that the use of multiple types of meat in cassoulet is linked to its historical origin. In the past, cassoulet was a popular dish for farmers and laborers who had to use available and inexpensive ingredients to feed their families. Pork, mutton, and poultry were commonly available products on farms in the area, and they were used in combination to create a nourishing and richly flavored dish. Others would usually replace duck meat with goose and pork with mutton. So it is this mixture of different meats that is like a way to enhance the flavors and textures: This combination of the tenderness of the duck confit meat, the smokiness of the sausage and pork meat, the softness of the mutton and pork meat. Today, the tradition of putting several meats in cassoulet remains, which is what gives it its unique taste and its reputation as a nourishing dish and a great culinary tradition of the region.
