Sausage Cassoulet Jamie Oliver Food

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.

RAYMOND BLANC'S CASSOULET

Steps:

• To cut the meats, roll up the pork rind like a Swiss roll. With the seam underneath, use a very sharp knife to cut the roll across into thin slices, then chop the rolled-up slices across into dice. Chop the bacon into small cubes (lardons). Cut the garlic sausage into 1cm thick slices.
• Drain the soaked beans and discard the soaking water. Tip the beans into a large saucepan, add the diced pork rind and lardons and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil and blanch for 15-20 minutes. Drain the beans, rind and lardons into a colander, and discard the cooking water.
• Roughly chop the celery, onion and carrot. Peel the garlic cloves but leave them whole. Cut each tomato into eight wedges. (You never see tomatoes in a traditional cassoulet, but chef Raymond Blanc likes them for their colour and sweetness, so he puts a couple in.) Preheat the oven to 120C/fan 100C. (If cooking in a gas oven, use mark 2.)
• Heat the goose fat or olive oil in a 26cm flameproof casserole or deep overproof sauté pan over a low heat and sweat the celery, onion, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bouquet garni and cook slowly to get a sugary caramelisation (about 5 minutes). Add the sausage, beans, pork rind and lardons and pour in 1.2 litres/2 pints water. Bring to the boil, skim off the scum, then add the salt, pepper, clove and lemon juice.
• Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring every hour. At the end of this time, the beans will be soft and creamy in texture and the juices should have thickened. You may need to cook it for longer than 2 hours (say up to 2½ hours) to get to this stage - it depends
• Remove the cassoulet from the oven. Bury the duck legs in the beans and sprinkle over the goose fat or olive oil, breadcrumbs and garlic. Return to the oven and cook for a further 2 hours. Serve the cassoulet in bowls, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

TOULOUSE SAUSAGE CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large pan, add the chopped onions, carrots, 3 of the garlic cloves, tomatoes, bouquet garni and some salt and pepper. Cook over a gentle heat for 5 mins, then stir in the beans, wine and 200ml water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. In a large frying pan, add the remaining olive oil over a medium heat and brown the sausages all over.
• Rub the inside of a casserole dish or baking dish with the remaining garlic clove. Pour in half the bean mix, arrange the sausages on top, then finish with another layer of beans. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 45 mins. While it cooks, blitz the bread in a food processor to make breadcrumbs.
• Remove the casserole dish from the oven, discard the foil and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 mins until the breadcrumbs are golden and crusty. Serve with a crisp green salad.

CASSOULET

Steps:

• Turn the oven to 170C. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the bacon until just crisp. Tip into a shallow, flameproof casserole with a lid. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and fry for 5 mins, until softened. Tip into the casserole.
• Heat the remaining oil in the pan and fry the chicken thighs until golden brown all over, then add to the casserole. Fry the sausages until brown and add to the casserole with the beans. Pour the stock into the pan, scraping any bits from the bottom, and bring to the boil. Add the tomato puree, tomatoes and herbs, stir well, then pour intion the casserole and season.
• Remove from the heat and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the surface in a thick, even layer. Bake uncovered for about 30 mins, until a golden crust is formed. Serve warm.
• Make the dish to the end of step 2, Cool, then transfer to a freezerproof container, cover and freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat from frozen: turn the oven to 160C. Transfer the cassoulet to a casserole and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Cook for 1 hour 25 mins or until hot and bubbling and a crust has formed.