Cassoulet is a classic French dish from the south of France. This version is more Provençal in character than Languedocien, with citrus notes and signature black olive flavours.
Yes, I do feel we need to acknowledge the wonderful Julia Childs before we can even say the word "cassoulet". Julia's first book on French cooking—a skill she honed as an American diplomat's wife living in Paris—entirely transformed the American kitchen. Anyone who has ever seen one of Julia's seminal TV appearances can instantly understand the magic within her, the kind of poise and anxious enthusiasm from the era when American diplomacy wasn't entirely on the defensive.
However, this particular cassoulet—I have no other word for it since it was named that way by the woman who gave me the recipe—isn't technically from Languedoc-Roussillon, the traditional home of cassoulet. Rather, it includes various taste notes we more often associate with Provence: oranges; oregano; black olives; etc.
It's another of those recipes that takes a while to cook, but is pretty straightforward in the actual process and you'll relish the results.
This recipe serves 2 to 3 diners depending on your side dishes. Scale up as needed.
Shopping list
Virgin olive oil; about 3 tbspns
About 2 tbspns of butter
Roughly 350 to 400g lean beef , depending how meaty you want it, cut into cubes
Approx. 350g mirepoix
200g chestnut mushrooms; use mushrooms on the larger side, cut into quarters
Good vegetable stock; fresh, cube or jelly; approx 200ml as liquid
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
4 cloves of garlic, vey finely chopped or grated
2 tbspns concentrated tomato purée
1 glass of white wine (or cider if you prefer)
1 large fresh fennel ( or 2 smaller) chopped vertically into large segments
½ a cup of black olives, pitted and cut in half
2 tbspns Worcestershire sauce (or anchovy pureé, if you want to be a purist)
2 tspns fennel seeds
1 tspn oregano
zest and juice of 1 small orange
salt and black pepper to taste
a little cornflour (only if you don't have the time to allow natural reduction)
for the potato side dish
1 large potato per diner; skin on and scrubbed
½ tspn olive oil
2 sprigs of rosemary
salt (optional)
Cooking Method
The cassoulet
In the same large pot with a lid in which you'll cook the main dish, melt the butter until it begins to bubble. Add the mushrooms and thoroughly stir until they are coated. Cover and allow to sauté, stirring occasionally. Once the mushrooms are cooked but still firm, remove from the pot and place in a bowl NB: Do not drain off any of the butter/juices
To the same pot, add the extra virgin oil to the juices remaining in the the pot and heat on a high heat. When hot, add the garlic and stir. When the garlic turns golden, add the fennel seeds and finely chopped orange zest. Allow them to fry for a minute of so, stirring to prevent sticking
Add the lean beef and stir, ensuring that it's coated in the oil, stirring so it seals on all sides. When almost fully sealed, add the fennel slices, stirring throughly so that it is also coated in the juices. Stir gently: you don't want to break up the fennel into pieces that are too small or else they will disintegrate entirely during cooking
Add the concentrated tomato pureé to the mix. Do not dilute it. Gently turn all of the ingredients so that the thick paste is evenly distributed. Allow it to cook directly on the near-dry base of the pot. If the moisture has dried to the point that the ingredients stick, add a dash of the wine; just enough to prevent sticking. Allow these ingredients to cook on a high heat for 3 or 4 mins, adding more wine as needed. After this time, add the remainder of the wine
Add the mirepoix to the centre of the pot and gently fold in. Pour in at least half of the vegetable stock almost immediately—you want to make sure that the mirepoix isn't sautéd against the hot sides of the pot
Add the orange juice then slowly add the rest of the stock so that the ingredients are almost but not entirely covered i.e. you may not need to use all of the stock. Bring to the boil. Cover and boil vigorously for about 5 or 6 mins
Uncover and stir. Add the black olives, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves to the top of the ingredients. Cover and reduce the heat so that the pot is barely simmering. Cover and simmer for 20mins
After 20mins, add the oregano, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir the ingredients. Re-cover and allow to simmer. Simmer for approx 2 hours on a very low heat (or for 1.5 hours on a slightly higher heat if you're in a rush), stirring gently but thoroughly at 15 to 20 min intervals
After about 2 hours, your cassoulet should have reduced. If, however, it remains a little too watery, increase the heat and simmer uncovered, allowing the moisture to evaporate, stirring regularly. If it still remains too liquid after 5 or 6 mins, add sifted cornflour (always 1 tspn at a time), stirring constantly until it thickens as desired
Finally, add the mushrooms and juices to the pot and reheat them for a few mins
Serve with the potatoes or desired side dish
The side dish
Cut the scrubbed, skin-on potatoes into slices between 1 and 2cm—thinner will be crispier in general, thicker will result in more "stodge"
Add the slices to a pot of salted boiling water and boil for 4 to 5 mins. Drain thoroughly
Place the parboiled potatoes on a non-stick baking tray. Brush with a little olive oil, season with salt and individual rosemary leaves. Place in a pre-heated oven (250°C/480°F/gas mark 9) and "roast" for approx 30 mins, turning halfway through. Cook until you achieve the desired level of crispiness and time to serve with the cassoulet
Alternatives
The best vegetarian/vegan version I've cooked of this dish involves doubling up on the mushrooms and fennel. Cook exactly according to this recipe, but reduce the overall cooking time and use the cornflour to thicken in the last stages.
The best pescatarian version I've made of it to date involved using a combination of octopus and squid in lieu of the beef and somewhat reducing the cooking time.
Red Carmrgue rice cooked in stock with flat-leaf parsley; a great alternative to the potatoes
Pairings
On the whole I prefer to keep the wines on this one pretty classic: Cahors, Syrah, Bandol, Côte-Rôtie and Corbières etc. And, opf course, my beloved Cape pinotage... I'm sure Karel can bring a deeper enlightenment, but this one is actually a broad church that welcomes many red wines.
コメント