Chef Tristan Foucault,
Peasant Cookery
Decadent, earthy and straight up soul-warming, this enhanced cassoulet hits all the right seasonal notes.
Ingredients
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 lb pork butt cut into 2 cm cubes
1 yellow onion, finely diced
6-8 cups water
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups of prosciutto, diced medium
1 smoked pork hock
1 6″ by 8″ piece of pork skin, (optional)
1 sachet (2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs thyme, 10 peppercorns)
1 head of garlic, cut horizontally with skin left on base of head, peeled
750 grams dry white kidney beans soaked overnight
2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
3 duck confit legs
3 links of garlic sausage
Method
- Heat canola oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat.
- In the pot, sear the pork butt and reduce heat to medium.
- Add the onions and sauté until translucent.
- Add the water to the pot along with tomato paste, pork hock, skin, sachet and the root end of the garlic head. Simmer on medium low heat for 30 mins.
- Drain the beans and add them to the pot.
- Put the lid on the pot and place in a 300ºF oven for 2hrs.
- Remove the pot from the oven, and remove the pork skin and the garlic from the pot.
- Squeeze the garlic from the bulb base and combine it with the pork skin, 3 cups of liquid from the pot and the raw garlic. Purée until smooth, and add the purée to the pot.
- Discard the smoked hock and the sachet, and season the contents of the pot with salt and sherry vinegar to taste.
- To serve, sear the duck legs over medium high heat, then place in a 400ºF oven until warm throughout. Cook the sausages in the same manner. Divide the beans between 6 bowls, and garnish with half a duck leg, and half a sausage.
Yields 6 servings
