Vegetable Cassoulet Frnch Women Food

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.

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.

VEGETARIAN CASSOULET (CASSOULET DE LEGUMES)

Steps:

• Cook beans according to package directions; can be cooked in a pressure cooker or crockpot. Cook until tender but don't overcook.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Reserve 5 of the garlic cloves.
• In a large heavy saute pan, over medium-high heat, saute the pepper, carrots, potato and remaining garlic cloves, in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• In an earthenware (or corningware) casserole, layer the cooked drained beans, sauteed vegetables, diced tomatoes, herbes de Provence, thyme, red wine, and stock, sprinkling each layer with salt and pepper.
• Cover casserole with a tight fitting lid and bake for about one hour.
• Add more liquid if needed to keep the beans from burning.
• Mince the reserved garlic cloves.
• Combine minced garlic with the bread crumbs, minced parsley and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Increase oven heat to 400 degrees F.
• Remove casserole from the oven, remove lid and spread half of the crumb mixture over the top.
• Return uncovered casserole to the oven and bake about 15 minutes, or until a golden crust has formed.
• Break the crust and stir it into the cassoulet.
• Repeat by spreading the remaining half of the crumb mixture over the top of the cassoulet.
• Return uncovered dish to the oven and bake until the second and final crust has formed.
• Then serve.

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.

VEGETARIAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large skillet, sauté onion, carrot and potato in olive oil over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add garlic, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper; sauté another minute. Combine vegetables with bay leaf, beans, tomatoes and vegetable broth in a large, lightly oiled casserole dish. Bake uncovered 20 minutes.
• To make bread crumb topping, combine olive oil, bread, parsley and garlic in a food processor; puree on high until finely crumbled.
• Remove cassoulet from oven and take out bay leaf. Raise oven temperature to 400°F. Sprinkle half the bread crumbs on top; bake another 15 minutes. Remove cassoulet from oven; stir bread crumb topping into beans. Top with remaining bread crumbs. Bake another 15 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Serve immediately.