Faux Cassoulet
2001-11-07 @ 11:18 a.m.
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Yesterday was supposed to be an Englewood day at Rancho Lesbiana. That's like a vacation day. Englewood is the little town in south Florida where we have our annual retreat to the beach. While there we do nothing but read, drink and watch the water roll in and out. But I like to cook, so that is always part of my vacation. In that sense, yesterday was definitely an Englewood day for me.
My plan for Sunday night's dinner was something with white beans and sausage. For Badsnake that automatically brought to mind her favorite dish at our favorite Atlanta restaurant, cassoulet at Babette's. So I set out to make what I called Faux Cassoulet. Cassoulet has several kinds of meat, including duck, sausage, and pork, with beans. Since I didn't feel like making a special shopping trip for duck, and my original idea was to use what I had on hand anyway, I faked it (fauxed it?). A good stew needs bread, so I also made some hearty whole wheat bread.
On top of that, Saturday night I got a wild hair that I needed to use some dried beans that I've had on hand for a while. So I set a big bowl of mixed beans to soak overnight (to make a bean and ham soup just to have around) in addition to the white beans soaking for the Faux Cassoulet. That means that Sunday morning, after a family breakfast of waffles and bacon (an extra bacon day), I had two pots of beans on the stove and bread dough rising in the oven. I also managed to enjoy a book and a couple of Bloody Marys in the back yard with Jake while the beans were cooking. The weather here has been beautiful, and promises more of the same. We are having sunny, breezy days and cool, but not cold, nights. It was perfect for sitting out and enjoying the smell of drying leaves on the breeze.
Faux Cassoulet
2 tbsp olive oil
2 or three cloves garlic minced
1 onion, chopped
2 slices bacon, chopped small
Half a bag of dried white beans (1 1/2 to 2 cups) soaked overnight
1/2 lb sausage
2 boned chicken breasts, chopped
2 15 oz cans chopped tomatoes
about 1 cup bean juice
about 1 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup lentils
herb bouquet (rosemary, oregano, sage)
salt and pepper
Crust
2 cups coarse bread crumbs
2 or 3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Start the beans in the morning in a large pot with plenty of water. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for hours until the beans get tender. I have read that adding salt to the beans before they get tender prevents them from getting beyond the al dente stage. So I don't add salt until they are done. I do usually add a little olive oil while they are cooking. When the beans are done, drain them and retain some of the water from cooking, a couple of cups just to be sure.
Saut� the garlic, onion and bacon in olive oil. When onions begin to get translucent add chicken and sausage. Cook the meat until browned, and add the drained beans, tomatoes, about a cup of the bean liquid and about a cup of chicken broth. The mixture should not be too soupy, but also not too dry. Add the lentils, the herb bouquet, salt and pepper to your taste, and simmer for as long as you like, at least 30 minutes.
Cassoulet doesn't always have a crust, but the one they make at Babette's does, and we like it that way. Mix the bread crumbs (a few slices of stale bread in the food processor just until it is still chunky), olive oil and cheese. Just before you are ready to serve, cover the casserole with the bread crumb mixture and place it under the broiler. I used a cast iron pot that can go from stove top to oven. If you don't have one you will have to transfer to a casserole dish. Let the crust get brown and crisp and serve.
So now in my fridge, I have leftover cassoulet and a big tub of bean soup. There is also another loaf of homemade bread. Anybody hungry? I'll take some of the soup for dinner tonight for myself and my co-worker. He likes my soups.
After dinner last night we did kissing photos for Badsnake's calendar. She wasn't completely happy with the first set so we had to do another set (darn it all!). We had fun with that. I can't wait to see the finished results. It's too bad you guys don't get to see the out-takes.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot the wine. We had a peppery Rhone wine with the Faux Cassoulet. It was a good match. Anything spicy with enough body but not a lot of tannin would work.
[I wrote this on Monday morning but didn't have time to post it until today.]
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