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Cassoulet |
INGREDIENTS: |
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4 cups of dried great northern beans
4 fresh ham hocks (about 1 lb. each)
3 large yellow onions, peeled and quartered
5 sprigs thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 lb. fresh pork rind, cubed
1 ham bone
1 tablespoon duck fat
1 lb. unseasoned fresh pork sausage, (about 4 links), cut into 2
inch pieces
1 large head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled (about 3/4
cup)
Confit of 1 quartered duck or 4 whole legs
1/4 tsp. nutmeg |
DIRECTIONS: |
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1. |
Rinse beans thoroughly, pick through and discard stones, then set
beans aside. |
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2. |
Place ham hocks in a large pot. Add 1 onion, thyme, and salt and
pepper. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce
heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 2 hours.
Remove from heat, allow to cool for 15 minutes, then drain ham
hocks, discarding onion and thyme. Cut meat from each hock into 2
pieces. Discard bones and set meat aside. |
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3. |
Meanwhile, place pork rind, ham bone, and 1 onion in a large,
heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently,
until pork rind is rendered, about 20 minutes. Add beans and enough
water to cover by 1/2 inch (about 8 cups) and season with salt.
Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook until beans are
tender, about 45 minutes. Adjust salt, then set beans aside to cool. |
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4. |
Heat duck fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages
and cook, turning to brown on all sides, for about 10 minutes. Place
garlic, remaining onion, and 1/2 cup water in a blender and puree
until smooth. Add garlic paste to sausages and reduce heat to
medium-low. Cook, turning sausages occasionally, for 10 minutes
more. |
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5. |
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, discard ham bone
and onion from beans. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half the
beans with pork rind to a heavy wide-mouthed 5 - 6 quart cast-iron,
clay, or earthenware pot, about 4 inches high. Assemble in layers:
Place the meat from the ham hocks on top of the beans and cover with
sausages and garlic paste. Divide duck into 8 pieces by separating
drumsticks from thighs and, if using a whole duck, splitting breasts
in half crosswise through the bone. Arrange duck on sausages, then
spoon in remaining beans with pork rind. Season with nutmeg and add
just enough reserved bean cooking liquid to cover the beans (about 3
cups). Reserve remaining liquid. Bake, uncovered, until cassoulet
comes to a simmer and crust begins to form, about 1 hour. |
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6. |
Reduce heat to 250 degrees and cook for 3 hours, checking every hour
or so to make sure cassoulet is barely simmering (a little liquid
should be bubbling around edges of cassoulet). If cassoulet appears
dry, break crust (browned top layer) by gently pushing it down with
the back of a spoon, allowing a new layer of beans to rise to the
surface. Add just enough reserved bean liquid (or water) to moisten
beans. |
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7. |
Remove cassoulet from oven. Allow to cool completely, then cover
with a lid or aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. |
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8. |
Remove cassoulet from refrigerator and allow to warm to room
temperature for at least 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350
degrees. Bake for 1 hour. When cassoulet begins to simmer, break
crust and add enough warm water to just cover beans (about 1 cup).
Reduce heat to 250 degrees and bake, breaking crust and adding water
as needed, for 3 hours. Remove cassoulet from oven and allow to rest
for 15 - 20 minutes. |
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9. |
Serve cassoulet from the pot, breaking the crust at the table. |
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Source: Heritage Acres |
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