A cassoulet lunch

After the frantic cooking of the holiday period I tend to go on strike at this time of year. I don’t want to do formal. I don’t want to do complicated. I just want to have friends round and enjoy a good glass of wine and a simple, relaxed meal with them - which I will have prepared in advance.

Cassoulet, the famous south-west French bean, duck and sausage casserole, fits the bill perfectly. True, it takes a bit of time to put together but that leaves you nothing to do on the day but put it in the oven. It’s also so substantial that no-one will want much to eat after it so you can get away with a cheeseboard and a generous bowl of fresh fruit (Most of my friends are on diets anyway at this time of year)

If you like you could hand round some slices of saucisson or salami and air dried ham such as Jambon de Bayonne, a few cornichons (gherkins) and some fresh radishes to nibble beforehand.

The time you save you can devote to sourcing some interesting wines. Being a classic dish from south-west France there are plenty of quirky, characterful reds to choose from (see What to Drink below)

Cassoulet

Serves 6-8
There are many different ways of making a cassoulet and this doesn’t claim to be authentic but it does contain the crucial components of duck, lamb, Toulouse sausages and outrageous amounts of garlic. And - very important - good fresh dried beans (by which I mean dried beans which are fresh . . .)

For the beans
750g dried haricot beans, soaked overnight in cold water
2 tbsp olive oil
125g (4 1/2 oz) lardons, pancetta cubetti or bacon bits
1 medium onion (about 150g/5 oz) peeled and roughly chopped
4 large or 6 smaller cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 bayleaves

For the lamb
1 kg (2.2lb) boned shoulder of lamb
2 medium sized onions (250-275g) peeled and roughly chopped
5 large or 7/8 smaller cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 x 200g tins Chair de Tomate (a rather superior chopped tomato product you can find at Sainsbury’s) or 3 tbsp of tomato puree and a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 level tsp herbes de Provence or oregano
570ml (1 pint) light stock made with Marigold vegetable bouillon powder
4 heaped tbsp finely chopped flat leaf or curly parsley
Salt and pepper

6-8 duck legs
450g (1lb) Toulouse sausages
2 tbsp olive oil
75g (3 oz) fresh breadcrumbs, made from a French country loaf or a traditional white loaf

You will need a very large saucepan for cooking the beans and an even larger casserole or earthenware dish for assembling the cassoulet (Or divide it between two dishes)

If you’ve forgotten to pre-soak the beans, put them in a large pan, cover them with boiling water bring them back to the boil, cook for a couple of minutes then turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave them for at least an hour. Drain them and set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the same pan and cook the lardons and chopped onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to brown. Add the chopped garlic, stir, then tip in the beans. Pour in boiling water to cover the beans, add the bayleaves, stir and cook at a brisk simmer for about an hour until the beans are tender but not disintegrating (Start testing them after 45 minutes). Turn the heat off and leave the pan on the stove.

Meanwhile make the lamb stew. Cut the lamb shoulder into big chunks. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or casserole and brown the pieces quickly on both sides (you may have to do this in two batches). Remove the lamb from the pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes till soft. Stir in the chopped garlic and the Chair de Tomate or the tomato puree and cook for a minute then add the chopped tomatoes if using and the herbes de Provence or oregano. Stir in the stock and season with salt and pepper then return the lamb pieces to the pan. Cover and cook slowly for about 45/50 minutes until the lamb is just tender. Stir in the chopped parsley.

Now cook the duck and the sausages. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Smear a roasting tin with a little oil to stop the duck sticking. Remove any excess fat from the legs then arrange them skin side down in a single layer. Season generously with seasalt and roast for 20 minutes. Pour off any excess fat into a bowl (hold onto this), turn the duck pieces over, salt again and cook for another 20 minutes until the skin is crisp, pouring more fat off if necessary. Set aside.

Finally brown the sausages in a little oil over a moderate heat in a frying pan. Do this quite slowly so that you accumulate a sticky residue. Put the sausages on a plate and cut each into 3 pieces. Deglaze the pan with a little hot water and reserve.

Now for the final assembly. Lightly grease a very large casserole or earthenware dish (or two smaller ones) Using a slotted spoon put a third of the beans in the bottom of the dish, picking out any bayleaves. Arrange 3-4 of the duck legs and half the sausage pieces and lamb over the beans and spoon over half the liquid in the lamb stew. Season with pepper then repeat with another third of the beans and the remaining meats and most of the rest of the liquid, including the ‘stock’ from the sausages. Finish with a layer of beans and the rest of the liquid from the lamb stew. (You should still have some water left over from cooking the beans. Hang onto this) Cool the cassoulet, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.

Bring it to room temperature before you reheat it. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Sprinkle the top of the cassoulet with two thirds of the breadcrumbs and trickle over some of the cooking juices from the beans and - if you’re feeling especially indulgent - a little melted duck fat. Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, breaking the crust down into the beans a couple of times. Add more bean liquid or duck fat if it looks dry, more breadcrumbs if it seems a bit soggy - the objective should be a lovely crisp golden crust.

Cos lettuce and chive salad

The only accompaniment this needs is a crisp, full-flavoured French green salad with a sharp, mustardy vinaigrette.
Serves 6-8

2 medium to large cos lettuces or 4 sweet romaine hearts
2 level tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
150ml (5 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper and a pinch of caster sugar (optional)
A small handful of chives

Cut through the base of the lettuces and tear off the coarser outer leaves. Wash the remaining leaves in cold water, tear them in two or three pieces then dry them in a salad spinner or a couple of clean tea towels.

Whisk the mustard with salt, pepper red wine vinegar and gradually add the olive oil, whisking until you have a thick emulsion. (Or shake the ingredients together in a jam jar) Add 1-2 tablespoons of warm water to thin the dressing to a light coating consistency and whisk or shake again. Check the seasoning, adding a little sugar if you find it too sharp. Just before serving divide the dressing and lettuce between two salad bowls and toss them well together.

Cut the chives across 3 or 4 times with scissors and scatter them over the top of the salad. Toss the leaves again and serve.

Notes on a cheeseboard

As you’re probably going to have lots of excellent red wine still on the table I suggest you don’t overload your cheeseboard with too many cheeses. I’d probably stick to 3 - a goats cheese, a cows cheese like Cantal or Laguiole and a sheeps cheese such as Ossau-Iraty (which I’d serve with a cherry compote to pick up on the berry flavours in the wines). If you want to serve a blue pick a mellow Bleu d’Auvergne or Bleu des Causses rather than the very strong salty Roquefort which is better on its own with a sweet wine. Some sourdough bread would be a good accompaniment.

What to drink

I’d pick a crisp dry white or ros as an aperitif. Again you could stick to your south-western French theme and serve a Bergerac or Gaillac - or any other refreshing crisp white (or rosé) that you enjoy.

With the reds I suggest you experiment with an appellation you haven’t tried before such as Iroulguy or Marcillac (both rustic reds that would be good with cassoulet) or compare old and new world treatments of the same grape variety - say Tannat from Madiran and Uruguay or Malbec from Cahors (where it is called Cot) and Argentina. You could also serve any of the rustic reds I recommend for meaty stews.

Have you ever made a cassoulet before? If so what recipe did you use and what wine did you drink with it?

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