Sunday 13 February 2011

Cassoulet


250g dried haricot beans (or 2 tins, if you really must cheat)
250-500g lean boned and rolled shoulder of lamb*
500g onions
25g lard
200ml white wine
50ml pastis (Ricard, Pernod, etc.)
250g streaky bacon, not smoked, in one piece (not sliced – ask your butcher)
600ml brown stock (lamb* or chicken – see recipe)
Bay leaf
3-5 cloves garlic (depending on how much you like)
100g garlic sausage (not chorizo – get French stuff from the deli) cut into 1cm cubes
1 tablespoon chopped parsley stalks
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Soak the beans overnight, if using dried. Follow the instructions for soaking on the packet.
Put a large casserole dish over a medium heat. Melt the lard. Finely chop the onions and fry gently until soft but not brown. Add the wine and pastis, and boil for 2 minutes. Add the pieces of lamb and bacon, stock, drained and rinsed beans, bay leaf, whole garlic cloves, sausage, parsley, and a good twist of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover tightly, and simmer very gently for at least 2 hours. You can leave it longer. If you prefer, you can put it in the oven at 120C.
Remove the casserole dish from the heat. Lift out the meats onto plates. Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper, if necessary. The sauce should be the consistency of single cream. If it’s a bit thick, add some boiling water. If it’s a bit thin, boil it with the lid off to reduce it.
Remove the string from the lamb. The meat should pull apart with 2 forks. Break it into nice chunks and strips.
Pat the bacon dry with a clean tea-towel or kitchen roll, and cut it into 1cm cubes. Heat the olive oil in a very hot frying pan, and fry the bacon cubes until brown. Return the lamb and bacon to the casserole dish, heat through and serve.

* If you buy the shoulder bone-in, get the butcher to bone and roll it, and give you the bone to make stock (see recipe). You can use a whole chicken, or 4 duck legs, instead of the lamb.

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