Cassoulet (French White Bean and Pork Stew)
Quick answer
- Active time
- 175 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Simmered slowly with pork shoulder and sausage, the white beans start to break down and thicken the broth on their own, without any roux.
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The work starts the day before, with the beans soaking for at least 8 hours.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Soak 400g white beans in water for at least 8 hours.
Drain, rinse, blanch in fresh water for 30 minutes to par-cook, then drain again. Fully soaked beans are essential for achieving the right tenderness after 2 hours of cooking.
- 2
Heat a heavy pot over medium-high heat.
Cut 500g pork neck into 4cm pieces and brown them in 2 to 3 batches on all sides. Brown 300g sausage in the same way.
- 3
Cook 1 coarsely chopped onion in the same pot for 4 minutes.
Add 1 carrot cut 1.5cm thick and cook for 3 more minutes. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- 4
Add the blanched beans, 800ml chicken stock, 1 teaspoon thyme, and the browned pork and sausage.
Bring to a boil over high heat, skim the foam, and reduce to low heat.
- 5
Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours.
Check after 1 hour and lower the heat further if the liquid is reducing too quickly. The cassoulet is nearly ready when a bean crushes easily under a fork.
- 6
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
The dish is done when the pork pulls apart easily with a fork and the beans have melded with the sauce into a thick, cohesive stew. Serve with crusty bread.
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