Castelnaudary cassoulet
Ingredients
- 400g white beans
- 1-1.5 litres best stock
- 2 confit duck or goose legs cut
- into 2 pieces each
- 80g Toulouse sausage cut into 4 finger-length pieces
- 200g belly, shoulder or hock cut into 4 pieces
- 100g pork rind
Method
- Soak the dry beans in cold water overnight. Rinse, place in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 mins, then leave to steep for 30 mins. Strain then cover the beans with stock and cook for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. When cooked, strain the beans, reserving the hot liquor. Place the confit duck or goose legs in a frying pan on a gentle heat until the fat has melted then reserve. Brown the sausage in the duck fat then reserve. Fry the pork until golden. Line the base of the cassole with the rind pieces, then add half the beans. Put the meat on top and finish with the rest of the beans. Push the sausages into the beans, leaving the top of the sausages visible, then pour over the hot stock - just enough to cover the beans. You may need to add more during the cooking. Add 1 tbsp duck fat and cook in a preheated oven 150C-160C/Gas2-3 for 2-3 hours. A crust will form and this should be broken several times during the cooking, some say 7 times for good luck. Bring straight to the table from the oven without breaking the crust.
