Traditional Cassoulet 

Serves 8-10

Recipe By Simply Recipes

Ingredients: 

• 2 pounds dried flageolet, great northern beans, or navy beans
• 1 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 ½  cups dry white wine
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 4 duck whole leg confit, excess fat trimmed off
• 6 slices (6 oz) thick-cut bacon, cut into ½ -inch pieces
• 1 ½  pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 ½ -inch pieces
• ½  tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausages
• ½  baguette or 4 slices crusty sourdough bread, torn into small pieces
• 2 tbsp duck fat (rendered from browning the confit) or olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions: 

• Soak the beans overnight in a large pot. Add the beans and cover them with at least 2 inches of cold water. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt and let it soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. 
• Partially cook the beans with aromatics by draining the soaked beans in a colander set in the sink and rinse them under cold running water. Return the beans to the pot and stir in the diced tomatoes, white wine, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, and garlic. Add enough cold water to cover the beans by 1 inch. Set the pot over medium-low heat and slowly bring the beans to a simmer, cover with a lid. Once it comes up to a simmer, cook for 30 minutes. The beans will not be fully cooked at this point. Set a colander over a large bowl and drain the beans and aromatics into it. Do not discard the cooking liquid. It’s not necessary, but if you’d like, pick out the thyme and garlic peels, and discard them. 
• Set an oven rack to the centre and preheat the oven to 300°F. 
• While the beans simmer, brown the meat: Pat the duck legs dry with a paper towel. Heat a large (at least 8-quart) Dutch oven over medium heat and when it is hot, add the duck legs. The duck should render enough fat, so you will not need to add any oil. Brown them on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer them to a platter. You can reserve some of the rendered duck fat for the breadcrumbs—pour some into a small bowl.
• Deglaze the pot: Set the Dutch oven over medium heat. To deglaze the pot, add about 1/2 cup of the reserved bean cooking liquid and use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits stuck to the bottom and sides.
• Assemble the cassoulet: Into the Dutch oven, add a third of the beans and spread them out into an even layer. Arrange the bacon and pork on top. Cover with half of the remaining beans. Arrange the duck and sausages on top and cover with a final layer of beans. Pour in the reserved bean cooking liquid. There should be enough liquid to just about cover the beans (the same level as the beans). Add water if needed. If you have leftover bean cooking liquid, reserve it in case the cassoulet needs more as it cooks. 
• Bake the cassoulet: Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and set it in the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes without opening the lid. 
• Make the breadcrumbs in a food processor, add the bread and pulse until you have large crumbs (about 1/2-inch pieces). 
• Bake the cassoulet with the breadcrumbs: Take the Dutch oven out of the oven. Remove a few of the beans, then bite into them. (They should be quite close to done. If not, continue baking until they are.)If the beans look dry, add enough of the reserved bean cooking liquid to barely cover the beans. Spread a layer of breadcrumbs over the cassoulet. Pop the Dutch oven back into the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes.Take the Dutch oven out of the oven again, and with the back of a large spoon gently press the breadcrumbs into the cassoulet to dampen them. Bake it again, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350ºF. Once again, take the Dutch oven out of the oven, and gently press the breadcrumbs into the cassoulet. Drizzle the top with 2 tablespoons duck fat or olive oil. Bake it again, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is golden and glistening. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.