White Bean Sausage Duck Confit Cassoulet David Lebovitz Food

WHITE BEAN-SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook until the onion is just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the wine to deglaze the pot and scrape up any browned bits, then simmer until mostly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are soft and the mixture is thickened, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Toss the sausages with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil on a baking sheet. Broil, turning halfway through, until well browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Let rest about 5 minutes.
• Remove the bean mixture from the heat and stir in the arugula until just wilted; spoon into bowls. Slice the sausages in half and add to the bowls. Top with basil and cheese.

SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Wash the beans well and put them in a large stockpot. Add water to the beans to cover by 2 inches and set over high heat. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, cover and let stand 1 hour.*
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the duck sausage on a baking sheet and place it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. The sausage will not be fully cooked through.
• Add the whole onion, whole carrot, 2 of the thyme sprigs and 3 of the bay leaves to the beans. Add more water to the pot to cover again by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer until the beans are mostly tender but with still a little bite to them, about 50 to 60 minutes. The beans will have soaked up all most all of the liquid you cooked them in.
• Meanwhile, pour the olive oil into a large skillet and place over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook stirring every now and then until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the crispy bacon pieces to a paper towel lined plate and reserve. To the same skillet, add the diced onion, sliced carrots and garlic and sweat the mixture for 20 minutes, until the onion begins to turn translucent.
• Slice the duck sausage on the bias into 1/2-inch thick pieces and add them to the vegetable mix. Add the remaining bay leaves, thyme sprigs and sliced kielbasa and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Next add the wine, beef broth, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high, bringing the mixture to a boil. Stir well to dissolve the tomato paste and lower the heat. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove the whole onion and carrot from the beans, add the vegetable sausage mixture to the stockpot and return to a low heat. Stir well and cover. Let the cassoulet simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until most of the wine mixture has been absorbed by the beans. Spoon into a casserole dish, sprinkle the top of each serving with some of the reserved crispy bacon and serve with a crusty baguette on the side.

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.