Cassoulet is the perfect winter one-pot meal; comforting cold-weather fare which is easy to make. This wonderfully rustic peasant dish of white haricot beans, preserved meats and sausages has its origins in southwest France.
Recipes for this classic dish abound. They usually involve many stages, many ingredients and a lot of time.
Its base is white beans with other ingredients added according to what is available; different pork cuts, local ham and sausage, mutton, goose and chicken, all topped with breadcrumbs for a golden crust. This is layered in a large earthenware pot and cooked in the oven for several hours.
My recipe is a shortcut to something delicious. The white beans are the essential ingredient giving the dish its creaminess and the various cuts of pork add to its flavour.
I'm a great fan of this rich and filling one-pot meal. No fuss, no extras, just a delicious medley of soothing tastes and contrasting textures so warming on a cold winter's night.
Sausage cassoulet
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
500g good quality pork sausages, about 6 (I use Blackball sausages), available at some supermarkets.
1 large onion halved lengthways and cut into thin rings
3 cloves garlic, crushed
150g cured chorizo sausage, about 3, (I use Verkerk's) sliced on the diagonal 1cm thick
150g thick-sliced bacon cut into 2cm pieces
1 cup red wine
400g can diced tomatoes in juice
2 400g cans cannellini beans or butter beans
200ml chicken stock
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
Topping
1¼ cups Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs) or day-old breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
Method
Preheat the oven to 180degC.
Choose a large ovenproof lidded casserole dish (8- to 10-cup capacity). I really like smaller sausages in this dish so I twist each sausage a couple of times in the middle and cut at the twist to form two sausages, but leave them whole if you prefer.
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large frypan and brown the sausages. Remove to the casserole dish.
Add the remaining oil to the frypan and fry the onions and garlic on gentle heat until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Tip into the casserole dish. Add the chorizo and bacon to the frypan and saute for 4 or 5 minutes until lightly golden.
Stir the red wine into the frypan then add the tomatoes, beans, chicken stock, sugar, tomato paste and rosemary. Bring to a slow simmer.
Place everything in the casserole dish and gently stir to combine. Mix together the breadcrumbs and parsley and scatter evenly over the surface of the cassoulet. Bake for 45-60 minutes until hot and a golden crust has formed.
Serve warm.
Although I call it a one-dish meal, I do serve it with a salad.
