Aria Cassoulet

Ingredients

• • ½# Dried White Beans
  • 2T Duck Fat or Bacon Fat
  • 1T Garlic, chopped
  • ¾# Onions, diced
  • ½# Carrots, diced
  • ¼# Celery, diced
  • ½# Bacon, large diced
  • 4oz White Wine
  • 1½c Chicken Stock
  • 1ea Ham Hock, optional
  • ½# Andouille Sausage
  • 4oz Tomatoes, canned and chopped
  • 2 Oregano, sprig
  • 2 Thyme, sprig
  • 1ea Bay Leaf, large
  • 2T Breadcrumbs, toasted
  • 1T Flat parsley, chopped

Preparation

Difficulty:

Medium

Time:

60 MinutesCooking Time

Total Time:

16 Hours

1. 1. Soak beans in 1 gal water overnight.
   2. Heat 1T duck or bacon fat. Add onions, carrots and celery, saute until lightly browned. Add half of the garlic, cook for an additional minute. Add beans with their water and ham hock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender – about 1.5 - 2 hours.
   3. Remove ham hock, let cool, then pull off meat. Keep skin and cut into ½ “ pieces. Discard bones and gristle. Cut meat into 1” pieces and add to beans. Set aside.
   4. Render bacon in an oven proof braised casserole or cast iron dish. Add pork and brown for for 8-10 minutes. Make a bouquet garni with oregano, thyme and bay leaves, add to casserole with tomatoes, cook until liquid thickens, about 10 minutes. Add wine, reduce by half. Add stock, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer until liquid thickens. Set aside.
   5. Brown Andouille sausages evenly. When cool enough to handle slice sausages in slices as desired. Add sausage to pork stew. Combine beans and pork stew in oven proof casserole. Bake at 300F uncovered for about 2-3 hours until golden brown.
   6. Top with breadcrumbs and chopped parsley. Serve with roasted Cornish game hen.