Root Vegetable Cassoulet Food

WHOLE-GRAIN BEAN AND TURKEY CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
• Cut a 12-inch square of cheesecloth, lay it flat and place the onion, celery, parsley, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and cloves in the center. Tie opposite corners of the cloth to make a packet; set aside.
• Mix the breadcrumbs and melted butter together in a small bowl until the breadcrumbs are coated with the butter; set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the kielbasa and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. (Take care not to let the kielbasa drippings burn; reduce the heat to medium-low if necessary.) Remove the kielbasa and set aside. Add the broth to the pot and scrape up any browned bits. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add 5 cups water; stir in the farro and 1/2 teaspoon salt and nestle the cheesecloth packet in the liquid. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the farro, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 1 hour (it will just be visible above the liquid). Discard the cheesecloth packet. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, wine, browned kielbasa, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper and bring to a medium boil; cook until much of the liquid has been absorbed and the beans and farro are visible above the liquid, about 10 minutes.
• Carefully transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake until golden brown and bubbling around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

ROAST VEGETABLE CASSOULET

Steps:

• Bring the beans to boil in a saucepan of cold water, simmer for 5 minutes, take off heat and cover tightly. Leave for 2 hours.
• Drain the beans, return to pan, cover with fresh cold water and add the herb bundle and vegetable quarters. Bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour until tender.
• Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan oven 180C. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a casserole and fry the chopped onion and celery until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar and half the tarragon. Season.
• Drain beans, retaining 1.2 litres/2 pints of liquid. Discard veg and herbs. Stir 600ml/1 pint of the liquid into the tomato mixture and simmer, half-covered, for 30 minutes. Toss the squash, carrot and celeriac chunks in 5 tablespoons of oil. Season and roast in a tray for 30 minutes.
• Remove vegetables and reduce heat to 180C/Gas 4/fan oven 160C. Stir beans, vegetables, mustard and half the parsley into the casserole. Add liquid if needed to make the mixture nicely moist. Check seasoning. Turn into a wide baking dish. (You can prepare to this stage the day before. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Next day, if the beans have absorbed too much liquid, moisten with bean liquid or stock.)
• Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining parsley and tarragon. Scatter over and drizzle with remaining oil. Bake for 50 minutes. (Add an extra 10 minutes if making ahead.) Serve from the dish.

CASSOULET

Steps:

• Drain the beans and put into a large heavy casserole, preferably enameled cast iron, with bacon, pork rind, garlic, 1 onion, the carrot, and the bouquet garni. Cover with the 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat, stirring often, until beans are barely tender, about 1 hour. Drain and return to casserole, discarding onion and bouquet garni.
• Add the remaining onion, the duck legs, demi-glace mixture, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
• Drain the bean mixture in a colander over a bowl and reserve 5 cups of the cooking liquid. Discard bacon and pork rind. Remove the duck legs and cut each in half at the joint. Season beans with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grindings of pepper.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place half the bean mixture in casserole. Add duck legs, duck sausage, and garlic sausage, and cover with remaining beans. Add reserved cooking liquid and drizzle the duck fat over the top. Cover and bake until hot and bubbling, about 2 hours. (Cassoulet may be prepared ahead to this point, then cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before proceeding).
• Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Uncover cassoulet and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

MUSHROOM CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large saute pan over medium high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add eggplant and cook, stirring until golden. Remove to drain on paper towels. Add remaining olive oil and mushrooms to pan and saute until they start to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. In a shallow gratin dish combine cannelini beans, cooked eggplant and mushrooms, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Arrange tomatoes on top, pour the wine over it. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir the mixture. Mix bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle them on top. Return to oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and crisp.