600gDried Tarbais or Lingot beanssoaked overnight in cold water
2Onionschopped
2Carrotschopped
200gAir-dried ham, e.g. Bayonnechopped
200gPork fat (couenne) or unsmoked fatty baconchopped
1Ham bonechopped into 3-4 chunks
1l Duck or chicken stock
Cloves from 1 head garlic, about 10crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4Ripe tomatoesfinely chopped or crushed in a mouli
5Toulouse sausageshalved
5Confit duck legshalved
A little extra virgin olive oil or some duck fat, to serve
Instructions
Drain the soaked beans and place in a large saucepan covered with water, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes and drain.
In a large ovenproof saucepan (like a Le Creuset), sauté the chopped vegetables with the chopped ham and pork fat for about 10 minutes until softened. There is no need to add any oil or duck fat as the pork fat will render down.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius/Gas 2.
Add the beans, ham bone pieces, stock (or water) and garlic to the vegetables and ham. Season lightly and bring to a gentle boil Then tip the crushed tomatoes on top, cover and place in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
Uncover after the hour and add the sausages and duck pieces, re-cover and return the cassoulet to the oven for another 30-60 minutes, or until the beans are tender. The dish should still be quite “juicy”. Remove the ham bones, pull off any tender meat and add to the cassoulet.
Ideally, cool the cassoulet and store in the fridge for at least a day, so that the flavours mature. Then reheat gently until hot and bubbling and mix in some olive oil or duck fat to enrich. If you really do like a crusty top, heat the cassoulet under a hot grill for a few minutes. If you need anything else (the cassoulet is filling!) a green salad would be good.