Notes: Traditionally, cassoulet is a red wine and tomato stew, with a combination of white beans and a mixture of pork, duck, goose, and lamb. Sausage is often substituted for the pork, and duck confit is a staple in many recipes. We use lamb only, because we find that too many meats make it hard for one flavor to stand out. With good-quality lamb, the sweetness in the meat really comes through, complementing the tomatoes, red wine, and beans.
This gets better after it sits in its juices for a day or two, so it’s a great dish to make ahead of time.
Ingredients: 2 1/2 pounds stewing lamb, cut into 2-inch chunks
Kosher salt
750 ml (1 bottle) full-bodied red wine
3/4 pound fresh carrots
1/2 pound onions
2 15-ounce cans whole tomatoes
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 15-ounce cans quart great Northern beans
4-5 slices good rustic white bread
2 tablespoons duck fat or butter
Pinch of salt
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Instructions:
1.
Lay lamb on a grid baking rack
over a large baking sheet. Generously salt lamb on all sides. Cover and
refrigerate for 24 hours.
2.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven
over medium-high heat and brown lamb evenly, working in batches so that the
lamb is well-browned on all sides, but not burnt. Between batches, deglaze the
pan with some of the red wine; reserve these juices. (Do not deglaze the pan if
the juices are burnt; simply discard and clean the pan before cooking the next
batch.) 3. Cut carrots to
about 1/3 the size of the lamb chunks. Finely chop onions. On the final batch
of lamb, after the pieces have browned nicely, add carrots and onions to the
pot and brown. Deglaze with red wine. 4. Drain whole
tomatoes, reserving juice; add tomatoes to lamb-vegetable mixture. Return remaining lamb to
the pot and add remaining wine, thyme, and red pepper
flakes. Add more red wine or water as needed to cover. 5.Bring stew to
a boil, reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer for at least 2 hours. (Once
the stew has come to a boil, you can also transfer it to a 350º oven and cook
for at least 2 hours.) 6. Once lamb is
very tender, remove from heat and add beans. (The stew needs to be quite loose,
almost soupy, before adding the beans because they will suck up a lot of the
moisture. If the stew needs more liquid, add the liquid from the beans; if not,
drain bean liquid before adding beans.) Unless you are serving it right
away, let the stew cool in the refrigerator.
7.Remove crusts from bread
and discard. Process bread in a food processor to create semi-fine bread crumbs
(not croutons). Toss bread crumbs in duck fat or butter with a
little salt and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Lightly toast in a 350º oven
for about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. 8.Remove stew
from refrigerator. Take a large spoonful from the pot and heat it up for
tasting. It should be a rich red wine–tomato broth. Add salt, a little pepper,
more red wine, or the strained canned tomato juice if necessary. Add more red
chili flakes if desired. It shouldn’t be overly spicy, but it should have a
small kick to it. 9.Reheat stew.
When hot, transfer to ovenproof serving bowls and cover generously with
breadcrumbs. Place bowls under a broiler to brown breadcrumbs. Drizzle with
olive oil and serve.
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