Garbanzo Cassoulet Food

GARBANZO CASSOULET

Steps:

• BEANS.
• Put chick peas in large pot and add water to cover. Stick cloves in whole onion and add to pot along with carrots, garlic and parsley sprigs.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until carrots are tender.
• Drain and discard the onion with cloves and parsley sprigs. Set aside.
• SAUCE.
• In large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the fresh tomatoes. Add tomato sauce, 1 1/2 cups of reserved bean liquid, lemon juice, sugar, basil and thyme. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.
• TOPPING.
• In medium skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add 1 cup of the bread crumbs and fresh parsley and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute.
• Remove pan from heat, transfer to a bowl and mix in remaining 1 cup of bread crumbs. Set aside.
• AT LAST.
• Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Combine beans and sauce in deep oven-proof casserole or baking dish.
• Sprinkle 1/3 of bread crumb mixture on top and bake for 15 minutes.
• Push bread crumb layer down into beans with back of spoon and sprinkle with 1/3 of bread crumb mixture and bake for 15 minutes.
• Repeat with last 1/3 of bread crumb mixture, and bake for 10 minutes.
• Finally, place cassoulet under broiler for 5 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.

FRENCH CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trim the excess skin from the duck or chicken and place on a lined baking sheet. Dry the trimmed skin in the oven, checking often, until crispy, about 15 minutes.
• Add the skin to a food processor along with the breadcrumbs, oil and the 1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves and blend until uniform. Set aside. (This step can also be done while the cassoulet is stewing).
• Heat the clarified butter over high heat in a heavy-bottomed saute or frying pan and, working in batches, sear the poultry, pork or lamb and sausage until they are caramelized, adding more butter if the pan gets dry. Remove the meats to a large roasting pan or deep broiler-proof baking dish as they are completed.
• In the same pan you browned the meat in, saute the onions, carrots and celery until they are caramelized. Add the tomatoes, wine, and 5 cups water, deglazing the pan by scraping all the loose particles from the bottom of the pan.
• Drain the beans and add them to the pan, along with the marjoram, parsley, bay leaves and 1/4 cup thyme. Bring the liquid to a boil.
• Pour the beans and liquid over the meats in the roasting pan, cover the pan tightly with foil if no lid is available and bake until the meat is fork-tender and the beans have absorbed most of the liquid and are tender, about 3 hours.
• Remove the meat from the pan, drain the liquid from the beans and vegetables and put it into a saucepan.
• Add two cups of the cooked bean and vegetable mixture to the liquid and puree with an immersion blender or puree in a blender before adding to the liquid. This will thicken the liquid into a sauce.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour the liquid back over the remaining beans and vegetables, stirring to combine.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Slice the lamb or pork and lay it on the beans with the sausages and poultry legs. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top of the cassoulet and broil until the top is lightly browned.

CHICKPEA CASSOULET WITH TOMATOES AND CHARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cook pasta al dente; drain.
• Saute onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, herbs, paprika, and saffron (if desired).
• Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until onions are soft about 8 minutes.
• Add chickpeas, 1/2 cup of their liquid and tomatoes.
• Season with pepper.
• Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.
• If pan becomes dry, add a little water to keep it moist.
• Steam chard until bright green and tender.
• Remove, chop coarsely, season with pepper and if desired salt.
• Put pasta in casserole, add chick pea-tomato mixture, chard and cheese.
• Toss until well mixed.
• Cover with foil and bake until warmed through, about 20 minutes.
• Serve with additional grated cheese if desired.

SAUSAGE CASSOULET

Steps:

• Set the slow cooker to low (ours had a 5-litre capacity). Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and brown the sausages on each side - you don't have to cook them all the way through. Set aside on a plate. Put the lardons, onion and celery in the pan and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 mins until the onion is translucent and the lardons crisp. Stir in the garlic, paprika and thyme, and fry for 3 mins.
• Pour in the wine and simmer until reduced by half, around 5-10 mins. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, stock, both lots of beans, the sugar and vinegar. Stir until combined and bring to the boil. Pour into the slow cooker with the sausages. Cover and cook for 6-8 hrs. Serve with crusty bread.