Daring Cooks: Cassoulet – o mancare spectaculoasa (Cassoulet - a spectacular stew)

Scroll down for English recipe

Prima oara cand am auzit de aceasta mancare a fost intr-una din emisiunile lui Anthony Bourdain. Era intr-un sat cred ca din Provence, unde toata lumea din asta traia. Faceau Cassoulet, o puneau in conserve si apoi o vindeau in lumea intrega. Si pe langa asta, numai Cassoulet gaseai la restaurantele lor  :)

Este o mancare din sudul Frantei, cunocuta din secolul al 14 lea si care contine porc, carnati, fasole boabe alba si confit de canard. Cum rata e scoasa de pe lista mea de preferinte culinare, nici nu m-am gandit vreodata ca o sa fac asa ceva.

Dar, cum spune englezul “Never say never”. Provocarea lunii ianuarie la Daring Cooks a fost tocmai asta: Confit de canard si Cassoulet. Am citit reteta si m-a intrigat. Se intindea pe 3 zile, dar nu parea greu de facut. Si ingredientele sigur i-ar fi placut sotului meu.

Prin urmare m-am hotarat sa o fac. Si, va spun cu mana pe inima, nu regret. A iesit o mancare SPECTACULOASA. De mult n-am mai gustat ceva atit de bun. Pentru noi, romanii, care iubim fasolea uscata, este o incantare a papilelor gustative. Eu n-am mancat din carnea de rata, dar sotul meu mi-a spus ca este foarte frageda si suculenta. Prin urmare, va recomand sa incercati Cassoulet-ul si sunt sigura ca o sa ma pomeniti. 

Nota: Pentru ca dureaza mai multe zile, eu am inceput vineri seara si duminica la pranz era gata.





Ingrediente pentru 4 persoane (si chiar mai multe)

• 2 pulpe confit de canard
• 600 g fasole uscata alba,curatata de impuritati
• 500 g carne de porc grasa (spata, burta, sau altceva) taiata in patru
• 1 foaie de dafin, 2 crengute de patrunjel
• Cam 30 cm carnati facuti in casa (sau cumparati)
• 4 cepe,taiate rondele
• 3 catei de usturoi, taiati felii
• 150 g bacon, felii subtiri
• 10 linguri din grasimea de la confit de canard

Cum se face

Ziua 1

• Pune la inmuiat fasolea. Cel mai bine e sa o lasi peste noapte.

Ziua 2

• Scurge fasolea si pune-o la fiert impreuna cu carnea de porc, dafinul si patrunjelul. Apa sa fie cam cu 2 degete mai sus de fasole. 

• Fierbe la foc mic cam 45 -60 minute, fasolea sa fie putin moale.
• Scurge fasolea si pastreaza apa.
• Taie carnea de porc in cubulete si pune-o deoparte.
• Incalzeste cele 10 linguri de grasime si prajeste in ea carnatii.
• Scoate carnatii pe o farfurie. 

• In tigaie pune ceapa, usturoiulsi carnea de porc. Caleste pana ce ceapa devine moale si maronie. 

• Pune amestecul din tigaie intr-un blender si fa din el un piure. 

• Incalzeste cuptorul la 180 C (mediu)
• Tapeteaza cu feliile de bacon o forma din ceramica sau sticla termorezistenta (sau orice poate fi bagat la cuptor).
• Pune ½ din fasole. Deasupra pune 1/2din carnati, pulpele de rata si ½ di piureul din blender. 

• Acopera cu ¼ din fasole. Pune restul de carnati si piure. Acopera cu restul de fasole 

• Toarna din lichidul in care a fiert fasolea, atat cat sa acopere putin mancarea.
• Pastreaza la frigider o cana din lichid
• Pune totul la cuptor pentru o ora
• Da focul la mic 140 C si mai lasa o ora
• Raceste si da la frigider peste noapte 

Ziua 3

• Incalzeste cuptorul la180 C (mediu)
• Cu o lingura fa o gaura in mijlocul fasolei si toarna lichidul pe care l-ai pastrat la frigider
• Lasa la cuptor cam o ora, dupa care serveste la masa.

English version

Our January 2011 Challenge comes from Jenni  of  TheGingeredWhisk and Lisa from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives.They have challenged the Daring Cooks to learn how to make a confit and use it within the traditional French dish of Cassoulet. They have chosen a traditional recipe from Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman.

I will write the recipe exactly how Jenni and Lisa wrote. My changes are written in italics

Ingredients

I made half of the recipe

• 5 cups/1200 ml/1100 g/39 oz dried Tarbais beans or white beans such as Great Northern or Cannelini (500 g for me)
• 2 pounds/900 gm fresh pork belly1 onion, cut into 4 pieces (500 g)
• 1 pound/450 gm pork rind (no pork rind. 150 g of smoked bacon)
• 1 bouquet garni (tie together two sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs thyme and one bay leaf)
• salt and pepper (no salt is needed if sausages are salty)
• 1/4 cup/60 ml/55 gm duck fat (I used fat from confit, 10 tablespoons)
• 6 pork sausages (homemade!)
• 3 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 4 confit duck legs (only 2)

Day One
1. Place the beans in the large bowl and cover with cold water so that there are at least 2 or 3 inches (50mm or 75mm) of water above the top of the beans. Soak overnight.



Day Two

1. Drain and rinse the beans and place in the large pot.

2. Add the pork belly, the quartered onion (I forgot to put the onion), 1/4 pound/115 gm of the pork rind (no pork rind for me), and the bouquet garni.

3. Cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about
 30 minutes. Season with salt (I didn’t add salt, because the other ingredients are already salty) and pepper to taste and continue to simmer until the beans are tender, about 30 minutes more.

4. Let cool for 20 minutes, then discard the onion and the bouquet garni.

5. Remove the pork belly, cut it into 2-inch/5-cm squares, and set aside. (If you plan to wait another day before finishing the dish, wait to cut the pork belly until then.)

6. Strain the beans and the rind and set aside, reserving the cooking liquid separately.

7. In the sauté pan, heat all but 1 tablespoon/15 ml/15 gm of the duck fat (I used the oil from confit) over medium high heat until it shimmers and becomes transparent.

8. Carefully add the sausages and brown on all sides.

9. Remove sausages and set aside, draining on paper towels (I didn’t drain)

10.In the same pan, over medium-high heat, brown the sliced onions, the garlic and the reserved squares of pork rind (Actually belly, not rind) from the beans

11. Once browned, remove from the heat and transfer to the blender. Add 1 tablespoon//15 ml/15 gm of the remaining duck fat (no addition of fat is needed. I used only the one from the pan) and purée until smooth. Set aside.

12. Preheat the oven to moderate 350ºF/180ºC/gas mark 4.

13. Place the uncooked pork rind in the bottom of a deep ovenproof non-reactive dish. (I use smoked bacon) You're looking to line the inside, almost like a pie crust. Arrange all your ingredients in alternating layers, beginning with a layer of beans, then sausages, then more beans, then pork belly, beans, duck confit and finally more beans, adding a dab of the onion and pork rind (Actually belly, not rind) purée between each layer.

14. Add enough of the bean cooking liquid to just cover the beans, reserving 1 cup/240 ml in the refrigerator for later use.

15. Cook the cassoulet in the oven for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to very slow 250ºF/130ºC/gas mark ½ and cook for another hour.

16. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight.



Day Three

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 350ºF/180ºC/gas mark 4 again.

2. Cook the cassoulet for an hour.

3. Break thecrust on the top with the spoon and add 1/4 cup/60 ml of the reserved cooking liquid. (Don't get fancy. Just pile, dab, stack and pile. It doesn't have to be pretty.)

4. Reduce the heat to very slow 250ºF/130ºC/gas mark ½ and continue cooking another 15 minutes, or until screamingly hot through and through. Then serve.


My conclusions:

Despite the fact that is a time consuming recipe, I have to admit that it was AMAZING. I don’t eat duck, but in this you don’t feel the duck taste. In the original recipe they don’t use anything smoked. I advise you to use either smoked sausages or smoked bacon. They give a very interesting touch to the dish.

My family wants to thank to Jenni and Lisa for this Sunday dinner dish.