Cassoulet

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

1. Heat canola oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat.
2. In the pot, sear the pork butt and reduce heat to medium.
3. Add the onions and sauté until translucent.
4. 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.
5. Drain the beans and add them to the pot.
6. Put the lid on the pot and place in a 300ºF oven for 2hrs.
7. Remove the pot from the oven, and remove the pork skin and the garlic from the pot.
8. 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.
9. Discard the smoked hock and the sachet, and season the contents of the pot with salt and sherry vinegar to taste.
10. 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