Simplified Cassoulet With Lamb And Andouille Sausage Recipes

Steps:

• Brining the Chicken: In gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag, dissolve salt and sugar in 1 quart cold water. Add chicken, pressing out as much air as possible; seal and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 1 hour. Remove chicken from brine, rinse thoroughly under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Preparing the Topping: While chicken is brining, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix bread crumbs and butter in small baking dish. Bake, tossing occasionally, until light golden brown and crisp, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature; set aside.
• Bring the beans, whole onion, garlic head, salt, pepper and 8 cups water to a boil in a stockpot or Dutch oven over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the beans are almost fully tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain the beans and discard the onion and garlic.
• While the beans are cooking, fry the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until just beginning to crisp and most of the fat has rendered, 5 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, add half of the bacon to the pot with the beans; transfer the remaining bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
• Increase the heat to medium-high; when the bacon fat is shimmering, add half of the chicken thighs, fleshy-side down; cook until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned on second side, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate; repeat with remaining thighs and set aside.
• Drain off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot. Return pot to medium heat; add lamb pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add minced garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, cloves, and pepper to taste; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in chicken broth and wine, scraping up browned bits off bottom of pot with wooden spoon. Submerge the chicken in the pot, adding any accumulated juices. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer about 40 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to simmer until the chicken and lamb are fully tender, 20 to 30 minutes more.
• Gently stir the andouille sausage, drained beans and reserved bacon into the pot with the chicken and pork; remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the croutons evenly over the surface and bake at 425, uncovered, until the flavors have melded and the croutons are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Steps:

• Rinse beans under running water. Place in large pot with salt pork and bacon; add cold water to cover. Bring to boil and cook 3 minutes. Strain through colander and rinse.
• Return beans, salt pork and bacon to clean pot. Add 6 cups cold water. Stud whole onion with cloves and add to beans. Add carrot, bay leaf, thyme and 2 cloves peeled garlic. Cover and simmer very gently until beans are tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove carrot, onion and garlic from beans and discard. Set pot aside.
• Season shanks with salt. Heat duck fat in casserole or Dutch oven and brown meat on all sides. Remove from pan with slotted spoon; set aside. Add chopped onions, chopped garlic and tomato paste to pan, mixing well. Return shanks to pan and fit saucisson, salt pork and bacon around them. Pour beans and their liquid over. Cover partway and cook over low heat for 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove meats from beans. Discard salt pork. Cut lamb and bacon into chunks and slice saucisson into 6 thick pieces. Season well with pepper. Season beans with salt as needed.
• Using slotted spoon, remove half the beans from the casserole. Arrange meats over beans remaining in pan. Spread remaining beans over the meats.
• Cover casserole and bake 1 1/2 hours. Uncover casserole, raise oven setting to 450 degrees and cook until a crust forms on top of the beans, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Put the beans in a medium bowl, cover with about 3 inches of water, and soak overnight. Or put the beans in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and soak for 1 hour. Then drain.
• Meanwhile, cut the duck into 8 pieces: 2 breast halves, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, and 2 wings. Trim off all visible fat and excess skin and set the fat and skin aside. Season the duck pieces and lamb with the salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook the duck fat and skin in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until between 1/4 and 1/3 cup fat is in the pan, about 4 minutes. Remove the solid pieces of fat and skin and discard. Brown the duck in the hot fat on both sides, about 4 minutes per side, and set aside. Brown the lamb, about 4 minutes per side, and set aside. Brown the sausage pieces on all sides, about 3 minutes per side, and set aside.
• Add the onion and celery to the skillet and sauté until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, nutmeg, Italian seasoning, and cloves and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the beef broth and tomatoes, return to a boil, and remove from the heat.
• To assemble the cassoulet:
• Layer the beans and meats, in alternating layers (4 of beans, 3 of meat), starting and ending with the beans. Pour the liquid over all, cover the cooker, and cook until the beans are tender, 8 to 10 hours on low.
• Preheat an oven to 350°F. Mix the breadcrumbs and parsley and scatter over the top of the cassoulet. Transfer the crock with the cassoulet to the oven and bake until the top is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Rinse beans; place in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet brown lamb in hot oil. Drain off fat. In a 3 ½ to 5 quart slow cooker combine the beans, lamb, broth, kielbasa, fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme (if using), garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf.
• Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.
• If using low heat setting, turn to high heat setting. Stir in the eggplant, sweet pepper, and tomato paste. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more. Discard bay leaf. If using, stir in fresh thyme. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. If desired, serve over hot cooked rice.
• Prep: 25 minutes.
• Stand: 1 hour.
• Cook: LOW 8 to 10 hours, HIGH 4 to 5 hours plus 30 minutes.
• Makes: 6 servings.
• Slow Cooker: 3 ½ to 5 quart.
• BHG Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes.