cassoulet

A Destination Cooking visit to Languedoc is not complete without learning how to make cassoulet. Ian Wood, head Conran chef recommends the following recipe.

Preparation: 30mins
Cooking: 2hrs

Ingredients

Cassoulet (Duck cassoulet) - serves 6-8
- 1kg dried white beans cocos or lingots
- 1 carrot
- Duck fat
- 2 large onions finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic crushed(more if you like)
- Bouquet garni
- 2 litres Chicken stock (more may be required depends on the beans you are using)
- ½ kg plum tomatoes skinned
- 4 Toulouse sausages
- 2 morteaux sausages
- 3 confit duck legs
- 400g confit pork belly
- 1 ham hock

Method:

1. Soak the beans in water for 24 hours before you start this recipe.
2. In a pan, large enough to take all the beans when cooked, put some duck fat and sweat off the onions and garlic until transparent
3. Add the carrot, bouquet garni, tomatoes ham hock and the beans
4. Cover with chicken stock, bring to the boil and cook for 1½ -2 hours.
5. When the beans are nearly cooked, add the sausages and cook in the liquor with the beans.
6. At this point check the ham hock. If cooked remove and pick the meat off and return the meat to the beans discarding the bones and skin.
7. Place the duck legs and pork belly into separate frying pans, crisp up the skin in a hot oven.
8. When the sausages are cooked remove them and the bouquet garni, season the beans to taste adding more liquid and duck fat if necessary.
9. Cut the sausages into portions place the beans into a serving dish and layer with sausages and bread crumbs
10. Place the duck and pork belly on top return to the oven to reheat and colour the bread crumbs and serve.