cassoulet.

It is cold today in SC. I decided I needed to make some comfort food some thing that warm up your body and  soul.
 I was thinking of the delicious cassoulet mamie used to make nothing better for a cold night.
The cassoulet is a old French country dish from the sud ouest , specially the Languedoc. It is a country dish made of layers of meat and beans . Most of the meat is usually duck , pork and sausages.
Since it is not very easy to find duck around here I decided to use chicken. I had some pork chops in my freezer so I used them but it will really better to use a cheaper piece of pork, like a pork shoulder it usually has more taste .
Here is my recipe.

Ingredients

4 pork chops
4 pieces of chicken tights
I onion chopped
2 or 3 carrots sliced
1 branch celery chopped
1 clove garlic
1 can diced tomatoes 
1 tbs tomatoes paste
8 oz of bacon chopped in lardons
4 cups of home cook beans or 2 cans of cannelini ,Northern or Navy beans.
1 cup bread crumbs

Preparation

Saute the bacon lardons in a large frying pan put in the cassoulet pan

 

 

 

Saute the meat in the frying pan in small batches .put in the pan with the bacon

 

Saute all the vegetables about 5 or 8 minutes make sure not to burn the garlic.
Add to the cassoulet pan
Add the tomato paste  in the vegetables and meat .
Add the tomatoes
Deglaze the pan you used to fry the meat and vegetables add to the cassoulet pan.
Add the beans
Add the salt and pepper
.

 

 

Cook for about 2 and 1/2 hours in a 350 degrees F preheated oven
Check ounce and a while for liquid
After 2 and 1/2 hours put the bread crumbs over the beans and cook for about 20 more minutes

Notes .
This cassoulet is delicious but not exactly the real cassoulet de Castelnauday or Toulouse.
I don't really know what is a real cassoulet all different cities in the South of France make their own Cassoulet
So I don't think I could make the real cassoulet but I will like to make a cassoulet next time with a few legs of duck confit, some sausage and the best of all some duck fat .
Duck fat give a delicious taste to food, French fries made in duck fat are the best and duck fat is really one of the original ingredient for a cassoulet.
All these ingredients are not very easy to find around here but there is a butcher down town who specialize in different meats.
Duck fat, bacon fat are becoming back in fashion they are not as bad for your health if they are used in moderation.
Well when I have company I will made this more expensive Cassoulet but right now my easy cheaper recipe is delicious

Et voila a table
Miam miam, bon appetite!