Cassoulet

This is a wonderful winter dish.

French Country cooking, one of my favs!

Enjoy! Happy Cooking!

1 lb dried Northern Beans, or you can use canned, rinsed about 2 -3 cans.

1/2 C Fat, I prefer Bacon, but you can use duck fat or olive oil

1 fist of garlic, minced

2 onions diced, I prefer purple

3 carrots chopped

2 large ham hocks

1/2 lb pork shoulder or butt, cubed

1/2 lb panchetta cubed, or bacon

1 t oregano and thyme

2 bay leaves

1 can tomatoes, diced

1 C white wine

3 C chicken broth

4 Duck legs , or chicken legs

1 lb pork sausage

 Soak beans in a 4-qt. bowl in 7 1⁄2 cups water overnight. Heat 2 tbsp. duck fat in a 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add half the garlic, onions, and carrots and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add ham hocks along with beans and their water and boil. Reduce heat and simmer beans until tender, about 1 1⁄2 hours.

2. Transfer ham hocks to a plate, let cool. Pull off meat, discard skin, bone, and gristle. Chop meat, add to beans. Set aside.

3. Heat 2 tbsp. duck fat in a 5-qt. dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown for 8 minutes. Add pancetta, cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic, onions, and carrots, cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Tie together oregano, thyme, and bay leaves with twine, add to pan with tomatoes, cook until liquid thickens, 8–10 minutes. Add wine, reduce by half. Add broth, boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, until liquid has thickened, about 1 hour. Discard herbs, set dutch oven aside.

4. Meanwhile, sear duck legs in 2 tbsp. duck fat in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, transfer to a plate. Brown sausages in the fat, about 8 minutes. Cut sausages into 1⁄2" slices. Pull duck meat off bones. Discard fat and bones. Stir duck and sausages into pork stew.

5. Heat oven to 300˚. Mix beans and pork stew in a 4-qt. casserole, drizzle with remaining duck fat. Bake   covered, for  1.5  hours. Remove cover and bake an additional 1.5 hours.

SERVES 6 – 8

This is an adaptation from Savour.com!