Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

This might be my favorite recipe of all time, and is one of the best loved recipes of my family (and friends). A real cassoulet, a peasant dish of southwest France, is potentially days in the making and has all sorts of not-readily-available-in-America ingredients (in terms of animal parts). This recipe, from the long-ago March 1999 Bon Appetit (page 177), is a wonderful shortcut version that is not at all difficult to make, and doesn't take forever.

End result (no bread cubes and un-garnished)

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs pre-cooked smoked sausages, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch discs or semi-circles. I typically use Hillshire Farms beef smoked sausage and kielbasa.
• 4 large leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced.
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped.
• 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped. I use a Granny Smith or similar, as the firmer texture of a "baking" apple holds up better to cooking.
• 1 TB chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried).
• 1.5 tsp dried sage.
• 1/2 cup brandy. I generally use a Cognac, although an Armagnac or a Calvados (apple brandy) from Normandy is terrific because of the apple tie-in.
• 28 oz canned diced tomatoes (1 large or two regular cans).
• 45 oz canned white beans, drained and rinsed (3 regular cans cannelini or Great Northern).
• 10 oz frozen baby lima beans.
• 2 cups chicken broth (maybe more...needs to cover the other ingredients in the pot in step 6).
• 3 TB tomato paste.
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves.
• 4 cups diced country style crusty bread, cut into crouton-sized cubes, and a little olive oil. (optional)
• chopped fresh parsley to garnish at the end (optional).

Equipment:

• A large dutch oven or equivalent stove top and oven safe pot.
• A non-stick skillet (only if doing step 8, making croutons).
• A knife.
• A can opener.
• Something to stir with. Pretty simple.

At end of step 4

The recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit).
2. Saute the sausage in the pot over high heat until lightly browned, stirring periodically (perhaps 7-8 minutes).
3. Reduce to medium high heat, add leeks and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or so until softened.
4. Add the apple, rosemary and sage. Stir to combine and cook for a minute.
5. Add the brandy, stir, and simmer 5 minutes. [This is the step at which to inhale deeply and enjoy...]
6. Add the diced tomatoes, rinsed white beans, frozen lima beans, broth, tomato paste and cloves. Season with a little fresh black pepper. Stir to combine (and mix in the big lump of tomato paste). Bring to a boil. [Make sure you are using enough chicken broth to at least mostly cover the other ingredients - see my picture below]
7. Cover, transfer to oven, and bake for 30 minutes.
8. (optional) Meanwhile, cube the bread and saute in a little olive oil to make semi-crispy bread cubes.
9. After 30 minutes of baking, remove the lid from the pot. If doing the optional bread cubes bit (step 8), spread the crispy bread cubes over the top of the cassoulet at this point. Bake uncovered another 15 minutes for a total baking time of 45 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven, garnish if you wish, and serve. Crusty bread and a simple salad are all you need (if anything). And perhaps a nice Cotes du Rhone, Australian shiraz, or similar spicy red...

At step 6

Total cooking time is approximately an hour and ten minutes, and requires very little other than some chopping and stirring. Anyone can make this dish, and the results are amazing. While it may not be authentic in the sense of true rustic French country cooking, it hits the right notes and is evocative of its inspiration.

For comparison, I have pulled Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of Southwest France (John Wiley and Sons, revised edition, 2005) off the bookshelf. "Cassoulet in the Style of Toulouse" (p. 317) includes as ingredients pork shoulder, ham hocks (or pigs' knuckles), pork skin with hard fat attached, confit (or rendered duck fat), salt pork, sausages, duck legs, etc, etc, etc... Step one of the recipe begins "Two days in advance, season the pork shoulder...". And goes on from there. While this is a fascinating read (as is the whole book), I don't find myself saying "I can do that", or even really wanting to for that matter.

Try this recipe, you'll be glad you did.