Turkey And Butter Bean Cassoulet Food

AD-LIB TURKEY CASSOULET

Steps:

• The day before assembling the cassoulet, season turkey legs generously with salt and pepper, then wrap and refrigerate overnight. Pick over beans and give them a rinse. Soak beans in a large bowl of cold water overnight.
• The next day, drain beans and put them in a large pot. Pour in fresh water to cover beans by 3 inches. Add small onion stuck with cloves and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a simmer. Cook gently for 60 to 90 minutes, until tender. Add 2 teaspoons salt and stir with a wooden spoon to distribute. Let beans cool in the cooking liquid. (Beans may be cooked up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated in their liquid.) Drain beans in a colander set over a bowl. Reserve and use bean broth if you wish.
• Meanwhile, bring turkey legs to room temperature and heat oven to 400 degrees. Put legs in a roasting pan and cook, uncovered, until nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375. Add 3 cups hot broth to pan, then cover tightly and bake for 1 hour, or until meat is very tender. Remove legs from pan and let cool, reserving pan juices. Take off skin and gristle and remove bones (save these for stock), then tear or cut turkey meat into rough wide strips. Set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide, heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and season generously with salt and pepper. Let onions soften and color a bit, stirring, then add cayenne, 1 tablespoon thyme and 3 cloves minced garlic. Add carrots and stir to coat. Add reserved pan juices plus 2 cups hot broth, turn down heat, and simmer until carrots are cooked but still firm, about 10 minutes. Add beans and gently mix with onion and carrot. Add turkey and bacon. Let simmer for 10 minutes more, adding broth as needed to keep beans a bit soupy, but not drowning. Taste broth and beans and adjust seasoning.
• Transfer bean mixture to a low, wide 3-quart baking dish. Arrange garlic sausage evenly over surface, then push down to bury each slice. Put bread crumbs in a small bowl and add olive oil and the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add remaining thyme and garlic, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well with hands.
• Sprinkle crumb mixture over beans in an even layer. Push down on crumbs so they absorb some of the liquid. Carefully add more broth around edges of pan to make sure beans are well moistened. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake uncovered until bread crumbs are crisped and brown, about 30 minutes. Let dish rest for 15 minutes, then serve, making sure everyone gets some crust. (May be prepared 1 or 2 days ahead and refrigerated. To reheat, bring to room temperature, moisten with hot broth and bake as directed above.)

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.

TURKEY AND BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Place beans in medium bowl; add enough water to cover. Let stand overnight to soak.
• Drain beans; discard water. Place beans and all remaining ingredients except tomatoes and salt in 3 1/2 to 4-quart Crocker-Pot® Slow Cooker.
• Cover; cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.
• To serve, remove bay leaves. Stir in tomatoes and salt. Cover; cook on low setting an additional 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

CASSOULET

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with the water and bring to a boil. Add the beans, bring back to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the beans soak in the warm water for 1 hour.
• Place the slab of bacon, one third of the onions, and the bouquet garni bundle in the pot with the beans and bring to a simmer, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Simmer, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are just tender, adding water if necessary to keep the beans covered while cooking. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid, saving the bacon, and discarding the herb bundle.
• Cut the lamb into 2 inch chunks, removing excess fat, and pat dry. Pour the duck fat into a heavy, 8 quart casserole, and heat until almost smoking. Brown the meat, in batches, on all sides, and set aside. Lower the heat, add the remaining onions, and saute until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the pureed garlic, tomato puree, thyme, and bay leaves, and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add white wine and reduce by half.
• Return the lamb to the casserole along with the brown stock, salt and pepper, and stir well. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer slowly for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until fork tender.
• Remove the meat and reserve. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat and adjust the seasonings.
• Pour the cooked beans into the lamb cooking juices. If necessary, add the bean cooking liquid so that the beans are well covered. Bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking juices.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Slice the bacon into 1/4 inch pieces. Arrange a layer of beans in the bottom of the casserole, then continue with alternating layers of lamb, and duck, ending with a layer of beans. Pour enough of the meat and bean cooking juices over the top so the liquid comes just to the top layer of beans. Mix the bread crumbs with the parsley and spread over the top. Drizzle with the duck fat.
• Bring the casserole to a simmer on the stove, then place it in the oven. After about 20 minutes, when the top has a light crust on it, turn the oven down to 350 degrees F. Break the crust with a spoon and baste the casserole with the liquid. Bake for about 40 more minutes, and continue to baste as the crust reforms, but leave a final crust for serving. Serve warm from the casserole.

ROOT VEGETABLE CASSOULET

Steps:

• The night before you want to make the cassoulet, put the dried beans in a pot with enough cold water to cover them by at least an inch. Let the beans soak overnight in the refrigerator, then rinse and drain them. (Or, if you're in a rush--or you haven't planned far enough in advance--bring the water with the beans to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, pull the pot from the heat, and soak the beans for an hour. Rinse the beans under cold water and drain.)
• Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small saute pan or skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are tender but not colored, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and, when it's incorporated evenly, add the diced tomato; pull the pan from the heat and set aside.
• Put the beans in a Dutch oven or large casserole. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Add the celery, carrots, turnips, fennel, split tomato, and the bouquet garni. Cut a parchment paper circle to fit inside the pot (see Glossary, page 369) and press the paper gently against the ingredients. Lower the heat so that the liquid bubbles at a steady simmer, and cook, stirring now and then, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Season the casserole with salt and pepper shortly before the beans are cooked through. When the beans are done, pull the pot from the heat and remove and discard the bouquet garni and whatever is left of the tomato. Drain the liquid from the pot into a pitcher and keep close at hand. Working gently, transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
• Spoon the beans into a baking dish--a pottery casserole would be perfect--and stir in the onion-tomato paste mixture along with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to just cover the beans. Top with the vegetables and moisten with more of the cooking liquid. Reserve the remaining liquid if you are going to reheat the cassoulet. (The cassoulet can be made up to this point a day in advance, cooled, and stored tightly covered in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature, then reheat it for about 1 hour in a 350 degree F. oven, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid if the casserole seems dry. Fifteen minutes before the cassoulet's ready, put on the crust and turn up the oven temperature, as directed below.)
• The Crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Toss together the bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley and stir in the melted butter. Spread the mixture evenly over the cassoulet and slide the casserole into the oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown and crusty.
• To Serve: Bring the casserole to the table and serve immediately, spooning crust, vegetables, and beans into warm soup plates.

CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-heat. Add the Italian sausage and bacon to brown on all sides breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute briefly, just until fragrant scraping up any browned bits. Add the zucchini, diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, chicken broth, and canned or cooked cannellini beans. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the duck confit. Remove the Dutch oven from the stovetop and place in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes remove and sprinkle the bread crumbs and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cassoulet Variation:
• Cajun Cassoulet: Use Andouille sausage and chicken as meat varieties. Replace the thyme and rosemary with 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning. Substitute the cannellini beans for red beans.