Kielbasa Cassoulet Wbeans One Pot Dish Recipes

Steps:

• We may think of it as decadent, but cassoulet is at heart a humble bean and meat stew, rooted in the rural cooking of the Languedoc region. But for urban dwellers without access to the staples of a farm in southwest France - crocks of rendered lard and poultry fat, vats of duck confit, hunks of meat from just-butchered pigs and lambs - preparing one is an epic undertaking that stretches the cook. The reward, though, may well be the pinnacle of French home cooking.Cassoulet does take time to make: there is overnight marinating and soaking, plus a long afternoon of roasting and simmering, and a few days on top of that if you make your own confit. However, it is also a relatively forgiving dish, one that welcomes variation and leaves room for the personality of the cook - perhaps more than any other recipe in the canon. As long as you have white beans slowly stewed with some combination of sausages, pork, lamb, duck or goose, you have a cassoulet.The hardest part about making a cassoulet when you're not in southwest France is shopping for the ingredients. This isn't a dish to make on the fly; you will need to plan ahead, ordering the duck fat and confit and the garlic sausage online or from a good butcher, and finding sources for salt pork and fresh, bone-in pork and lamb stew meat. The beans, though, aren't hard to procure. Great Northern and cannellini beans make fine substitutes for the Tarbais, flageolet and lingot beans used in France.Then give yourself over to the rhythm of roasting, sautéing and long, slow simmering. The final stew, a glorious pot of velvety beans and chunks of tender meat covered by a burnished crust, is well worth the effort.
• Named for the cassole, the earthenware pot in which it is traditionally cooked, cassoulet evolved over the centuries in the countryside of southwest France, changing with the ingredients on hand and the cooks stirring the pot.The earliest versions of the dish were most likely influenced by nearby Spain, which has its own ancient tradition of fava bean and meat stews. As the stew migrated to the Languedoc region, the fava beans were replaced by white beans, which were brought over from the Americas in the 16th century.Although there are as many cassoulets as there are kitchens in the Languedoc, three major towns of the region - Castelnaudary, Carcassonne and Toulouse - all vigorously lay claim to having created what they consider to be the only true cassoulet. It is a feud that has been going on at least since the middle of the 19th century, and probably even longer.In 1938, the chef Prosper Montagné, a native of Carcassonne and an author of the first version of "Larousse Gastronomique," attempted to resolve the dispute. He approached the subject with religious zeal, calling cassoulet "the god of Occidental cuisine" and likening the three competing versions to the Holy Trinity. The cassoulet from Castelnaudary, which is considered the oldest, is the Father in Montagné's trinity, and is made from a combination of beans, duck confit and pork (sausages, skin, knuckles, salt pork and roasted meat). The Carcassonne style is the Son, with mutton and the occasional partridge stirred in. And the version from Toulouse, the Holy Spirit, was the first to add goose confit to the pot.The recipe for cassoulet was codified by the "États Généraux de la Gastronomie" in 1966, and it was done in a way that allowed all three towns to keep their claims of authenticity. The organization mandated that to be called cassoulet, a stew must consist of at least 30 percent pork, mutton or preserved duck or goose (or a combination of the three elements), and 70 percent white beans and stock, fresh pork rinds, herbs and flavorings.That settled the question of which meats to use. But there are two other main points of contention that still inspire debate: the use of tomatoes and other vegetables with the beans, and a topping of bread crumbs that crisp in the oven. Julia Child chose to do both, as we do here. "The Escoffier Cookbook" and "Larousse Gastronomique" give some recipes that include the tomatoes, vegetables and bread crumbs, and some that omit them. The beauty of it is that if you make your own cassoulet, you get to decide.Above, "The Kitchen Table" by Jean-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779).
• Casserole dish You will need a deep casserole dish that holds at least eight quarts, or a large Dutch oven, to bake the cassoulet. If you use a Dutch oven, you won't need the cover. The cassoulet needs to bake uncovered to develop a crisp crust.Baking sheets All of the ingredients for a cassoulet are cooked before being combined and baked again. The meat can be cooked in any number of ways; here, the pork and lamb stew meat is roasted on rimmed baking sheets so that it browns.Large pot The beans and garlic sausage (or kielbasa) are cooked in a large pot before they are added to the casserole, though you could use a slow cooker or pressure cooker, if you have one. You will also need a second small pot for simmering the salt pork.Wirecutter, a product recommendations website owned by The New York Times Company, has guides to the best Dutch ovens and baking sheets.
• This slow-cooked casserole requires a good deal of culinary stamina. But the voluptuous combination of aromatic beans with rich chunks of duck confit, sausage, pork and lamb is worth the effort. Serve it with a green salad. It doesn't need any other accompaniment, and you wouldn't have room for one anyway.
• The hardest part of making a cassoulet may be obtaining the ingredients. Beyond that, it helps to think of cooking and building it in stages. Once you've gathered and prepared the components (the meat, beans, salt pork, sausage, duck confit and bread crumb topping), assembling the dish is just a matter of layering the elements.• You can use any kind of roasted meats for a cassoulet, and the kinds vary by region. Substitute roasted chicken, turkey or goose for the duck confit, bone-in beef for the lamb and bone-in veal for the pork. Lamb neck is a great substitute for the bone-in lamb stew meat, and you can use any chunks of bone-in pork, like pork ribs, in place of the pork stew meat. (The bones give the dish more flavor, and their gelatin helps thicken the final stew.)• Do not use smoked sausages in the beans, or substitute smoked bacon for the salt pork. The smoky flavor can overwhelm the dish, and it is not traditional in French cassoulets. If you can't find salt pork, pancetta will work in its place, and you won't need to poach it beforehand.• You can buy duck confit at gourmet markets or order it online. If you'd prefer to make it yourself, this is how to do it: Rub 4 fresh duck legs with a large pinch of salt each. Place in a dish and generously sprinkle with whole peppercorns, thyme sprigs and smashed, peeled garlic cloves. Cover and let cure for 4 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, wipe the meat dry with paper towels, discarding the garlic, pepper and herbs. Place in a Dutch oven or baking dish and cover completely with fat. (Duck fat is traditional, but olive oil also works.) Bake in a 200-degree oven until the duck is tender and well browned, 3 to 4 hours. Let duck cool in the fat before refrigerating. Duck confit lasts for at least a month in the refrigerator and tastes best after sitting for 1 week.• Don't think the meat is the only star of this dish. The beans need just as much love. You want them velvety, sitting in a trove of tomato, stock and rich fat. Buy the best beans you can, preferably ones that have been harvested and dried within a year of cooking. The variety of white bean is less important than their freshness.• Bread crumbs aren't traditional for cassoulet, but will result in a topping with an especially airy and crisp texture. Regular dried bread crumbs, either bought or homemade, will also work.• When you roast the meat, leave plenty of space between the chunks of meat so they brown nicely. More browning means richer flavor. You can also use leftover roasted meat if you have them on hand.• The bouquet garni flavors both the beans and the bean liquid, which is used to moisten the cassoulet as it bakes. To make one, take sprigs of parsley and thyme and a bay leaf and tie them together with at least 1 foot of kitchen string. Tuck the bay leaf in the middle of the bouquet and make sure you wrap the herbs up thoroughly, several times around, so they don't escape into the pot.• Feel free to use a slow cooker or pressure cooker for the beans. Add the garlic sausage (or kielbasa) about halfway through the cooking time. It doesn't have to be exact, since the sausage is already cooked; you're adding it to flavor the beans and their liquid.• Use a very large skillet, at least 12 inches, for sautéing the sausages and finishing the beans before you layer them into the casserole dish. • In this recipe, the beans are finished in a tomato purée, which reduces and thickens the sauce of the final cassoulet. But you can substitute a good homemade stock for the purée. You'll get a soupier cassoulet, but it's just as traditional without the tomatoes.• The salt pork is layered in strips into the bottom of the baking dish. Then, while cooking, it crisps and turns into a bottom crust for the stew. So it is important to slice it thinly and carefully place it in a single layer on the bottom of the dish (and up the sides, if you have enough). Don't overlap it very much, or those parts won't get as crisp.• The reserved bean liquid is added to the cassoulet for cooking, and its starchiness is what keeps the stew thick and creamy. Using stock instead would make for a soupier but still delicious cassoulet.• You create a substantial top crust with crunch by repeatedly cracking the very thick layer of bread crumbs as the cassoulet cooks, and by drizzling the topping with bean liquid, which browns and crisps up in the heat. It's best to crack the topping in even little taps from the side of a large spoon. You are looking to create more texture and crunch by exposing more of the bread crumbs to the hot oven and bean liquid, which should be drizzled generously and evenly.• If you like you can skip the bread crumbs entirely, which is just as traditional. The top will brown on its own, but there won't be a texturally distinct crust.• You do not have to make the cassoulet all in one go. You can break up the work, cooking the separate elements ahead of time and reserving them until you are ready to layer and bake the cassoulet. Or assemble the cassoulet in its entirety ahead of time, without bread crumbs, and then top and bake just before serving.
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Steps:

• In a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven cook the chopped bacon until crisp; transfer the bacon to a large bowl and discard all but 3 tablespoons fat from the pot.
• Add in the pork shoulder cubes and kielbasa slices and brown (about 10-12 minutes, you might have to this in batches) transfer to a bowl with the bacon.
• Add in onions, garlic, celery, carrots, dryed thyme and dryed chili flakes; saute until tender (about 4 minutes).
• Add in the tomato paste and cook stirring for 1 minute.
• Add in chicken broth and tomatoes with juice; bring to a boil.
• Add in the meats from the pork, kielbasa and bacon; stir to combine (if you are using the dryed beans then add them in at this point with the meats).
• Cover pot and transfer to 325 degree oven for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour of cooking stir in the wine and canned beans, season with salt and pepper.
• In a bowl, mix together the fresh breadcrumbs, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle over cassoulet.
• Return to the oven UNCOVERED and cook until the pork is tender and the dryed beans are tender (if using them) and the topping is golden and crisp (about 40-45 minutes).
• *NOTE* to prepare this recipe using dryed beans, place the beans in a large saucepan.
• Add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches.
• Bring to a boil; remove from heat, cover and soak for 1 hour.
• Drain and rinse under cold water.
• Return the beans to the pot, add in enough cold water to cover the beans by 3 inches; bring to a boil; cover and simmer over medium-low heat until beans are almost tender (about 30 minutes) drain, then add them into the cassoulet as directed.

Steps:

• Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat. Cook and stir onion in the hot skillet until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add kielbasa; fry until sausage is lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes more.
• Stir broccoli and potatoes into sausage mixture; season with salt and pepper. Cook, without stirring, until broccoli begins to soften, about 15 minutes. Stir mixture and continue to cook until vegetables are completely tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add kielbasa, ham, carrots, celery and onion; cook and stir until sausage is browned and vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. , Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until heated through.

Steps:

• Heat oil or butter in a large skillet, add Kielbasa and cook over medium high heat until lightly browned, remove with slotted spoon.
• Reduce heat to medium, add onions and cook until transparent.
• Reduce heat to low, add garlic and herbs and cook 1 minute.
• Add kielbasa, tomatoes and white beans, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Spray 3 to 5 quart crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
• Rinse beans and drain.
• Separate onion slices into rings.
• Put all ingredients into crock pot, stir to combine.
• Cook on high 4 hours or low 8 - 10 hours.
• Hints: *Use whatever combination of beans you have on hand, but don't use seasoned beans. *It's MUCH better made with wine; the alcohol cooks off; you can buy tiny bottles in a four pack if you're not a wine drinker. *Leave the thyme sprigs whole; the leaves will fall off during cooking. Remember to fish out the stems before serving.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Add the cabbage to a rimmed baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to coat. Arrange in an even layer, then scatter the kielbasa on top. Roast without flipping until cabbage is tender and charred in spots and the kielbasa is dark golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together 1/4 cup olive oil with the vinegar, dill, shallot, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the beans and stir to combine.
• Divide the cabbage and sausage among plates and spoon the beans and vinaigrette on top.

Steps:

• Dry the chicken with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over med-high heat until just smoking.
• Brown half of the chicken, about 10 minutes, then transfer to a plate and remove the browned skin.
• Return the pot with any rendered fat to med-high heat and repeat with the remaining chicken.
• Pat the pork dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pot and place over medium heat until just smoking.
• Brown the pork, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds.
• Stir in the broth, wine, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and cloves, scraping up any browned bits.
• Return the chicken thighs with any accumulated juice to the pot and submerge them in the liquid.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.
• Remove the cover and continue to simmer until the chicken and pork are fully tender, 20-30 minutes.
• Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
• Gently stir in the beans and kielbasa and continue to simmer, uncovered, until they are heated through, about 15 minutes.