An Impromptu Cassoulet

We had our first snowfall in DC yesterday. The flakes were big and wet, and they quickly began to accumulate, at least at our relatively high elevation (around 400 feet above sea level). By the end of it we had maybe three inches on the ground, and even after a 40 degree day today some is still sticking around. That kind of weather makes me crave something hearty and stew-like, and the thought of cassoulet popped into my head as I hid under the comforter this morning. Cassoulet is true French peasant fare, full of beans, duck, and sausages. I don't think I have ever made it before, and I didn't really feel like consulting a recipe, so I just made something up that (I think) is relatively close. It is cooking now, so I guess we will see in an hour or so.

Here is what I did:

Cook about a pound and a quarter of Great Northern beans.

Start with a duck. Cut off the wings, legs, and thighs and season them with salt and pepper. Debone the breasts, and save them for a nice dinner later in the week. Brown the wings, legs and thighs in fat (preferably rendered duck fat) until they are nice and deep brown. (Or if you have plenty of time, make some real duck confit. Or if you have less time but access to a good market, buy some duck confit and you can dispense with the duck entirely.) Make some stock from the assorted leftover bones and skin and parts. After the stock has simmered an hour, degrease it. (If you know what is good for you, you will save the duck fat to use for other things, like sauteeing certain vegetables.)

Saute a few slices of chopped bacon in the Dutch oven that you will use to cook the cassoulet. After the bacon is crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon. Add one large sliced onion, two ribs of chopped celery, and two chopped carrots. Saute until soft, and then add two bay leaves, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, and 1 1/2 t of herbes de Provence. Continue sauteeing until the vegetables start to caramelize. Stir in 1 T or so of tomato paste, and then deglaze the pan with some stock or water. Add the cooked beans, the duck, the bacon, and 12 ounces or so of sliced smoked sausages. Add about two cups of stock, season with salt and pepper to taste. Put in a 325 degree oven for an hour or so.

We are having this with some roasted butternut squash chunks (leftover from the risotto), and a 2006 Bogle Phantom, which is a very hearty red.

(...a couple of hours later...) Dinner was quite tasty, though the andouille sausages I used were so spicy that it became more of a Cajun dish than French peasant...not that there is anything wrong with that. I'll have to try again with something less assertive, and perhaps I should read a few recipes. The wine, by the way, was a very good match. Big, fruity, just a touch hot. It definitely warmed the cockles of my heart.