Sausage Cassoulet (Bean stew)

I made this the other day, and both Dominika and I loved it.

RECIPE FOR CASSOULET

Ingredients (for 4)

• 1 medium onion (or large shallot) diced
• 4 carrot diced
• 4 celery stalk diced
• 4 garlic cloves diced
• 2 mild sausages
• 2 sweet sausages
• 2 duck leg confit
• Additionally add any sausage that you like to add
• 8 ounces large diced pork belly, or 5 – 6 thick sliced bacon cut into 3 inch wide pieces
• 3 – 4 cups beef or chicken stock
• 3/4 lbs dry or 3 canned white beans
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste or Paprika paste (I prefer the paprika paste over tomato paste)
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Making the Cassoulet

• If you have time, soak the beans for 10 hours, or overnight.  If not, cover them with water in a pot.  Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat and cover.  Let the beans soak in the hot water for an hour.  Alternatively, use the canned beans, which in my experience, is just as good.
• In a large Dutch oven over high heat, quickly brown the bacon, Italian Sausages, and the duck leg.  Start with a bit of olive oil, but the meat should give off quite a bit of fat of their own
• Remove the meat, and drain most of the oil into a separate holding bowl
• Add the carrots, onion, celery to the dutch oven, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the onions are soft.  Add the crushed garlic at the end.
• If the pan ever looks dry, add back the oil you reserved earlier
• Add the tomato/paprika paste, stir in and cook for 3 – 4 minutes
• Add the white wine, stir, and allow it to reduce by half
• Drain the beans from the soaking water, add them to the Dutch oven along with the herbs, and add enough stock to cover the beans by about 90%.
• Season the beans with salt and pepper and stir to distribute everything evenly
• Add all the browned meat to the Dutch oven, evenly distributed and pushed down into the beans.
• Cover the Dutch oven and bring the stock to a light simmer
• Put it into a 325/160 degree oven and cook for 1.5 – 2 hours until the beans are tender
• You may want to check at the hour mark.  If there is little to no liquid left, add a bit more stock
• Once the beans are tender, remove the cassoulet from the oven and turn on the broiler
• Moisten the bread crumbs with some olive oil, and then spread the bread crumbs over the top of the cassoulet
• Move the cassoulet, uncovered, back into the oven for about 5 minutes (but watch it closely) so the broiler can crisp the bread crumbs
• Remove from the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes and serve it up, distributing a bit of each type meat, along with a healthy portion of beans to each plate