Cassoulet

We had lots of left over Ham, Pork, Sausage and Bacon. What could be better than making a Cassoulet? Cathy started with the recipe for: Lazy Chicken-and-Sausage Cassoulet. She then modified with the ingredients on hand. This is the essential rule of home cooking in a Pandemic. You don't always have what you want, but you have what you need, if you are creative. In the past it was easy to run out and get any missing ingredient. Now we scrounge around the pantry and make do. Cassoulet especially lends itself to this kind of cooking, because it really is a melange of ingredients. Cathy's version was delicious!

Lazy Chicken-and-Sausage Cassoulet

Food and Wine

 

Cassoulet ranks as one of French Provincial cooking’s most iconic recipes, and it’s one I've been besotted with since I was young cook. My first encounter with the regional classic (broadly described as a hearty casserole of beans, various meats, sausages, and poultry) was in the writings of Richard Olney and Elizabeth David. These legendary food writers portrayed the dish with such passion and poeticism that my 23-year-old self actually made a pilgrimage to southwest France just to eat it in situ—and, I dared hope, to unlock the secret to making great cassoulet at home.For more than a week, I travelled around Languedoc and Gascony voraciously tasting my way through versions that ranged from sumptuous feasts (crowded with duck confit, goose, sausage, pork belly, pork trotters, lamb breast, lamb stew, and game meats) to deliciously modest examples (no more than pork-studded bean casseroles baked under crunchy breadcrumb crusts). In the end, the infinite variety far outlasted my appetite—and my travel budget. I returned home with the understanding that there is no single best cassoulet, and, perhaps more importantly, I felt free to adapt this rustic dish to suit my own appetite and cooking routines.In the decades since my cassoulet quest, my fondness for this meat-enriched bean gratin has not wavered, and I continually play around with various formulas and techniques. But the version I crave most remains the simplest: one that I can get on the dinner table in under an hour. I start with boneless, skinless chicken thighs (unless I have leftover roast chicken, which works great, too). If I have duck fat on hand, I use it to sauté the chicken for an extra flavor boost (and because that's the fat most used in southwest France), but any neutral-tasting oil will do. Either way, the chicken should be tender, cooked through, and well-seasoned. Then it's a matter of sautéing an onion, a healthy amount of garlic, and a heap of smoked sausage to create a flavor base that will carry through the entire dish. A bit of tomato paste ups the umami quotient, and a splash of white wine contributes just enough acid to balance the richness.From there, everything gets gently folded together with cooked white beans (canned or home-cooked), spread in a shallow dish (either a gratin or a heavy skillet), topped with breadcrumbs, and baked until bubbling hot on the inside and crunchy-golden on top. Add a green salad, and you've got one of the most enduring and satisfying bean-and-meat dishes ever.

 

Ingredients

 

2          pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry 

1-3/4   teaspoons kosher salt, divided 

1          teaspoon black pepper, divided 

½         cup olive oil or canola oil, divided 

1          medium-size yellow onion, chopped 

6          ounces smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces 

3          garlic cloves, minced 

1          tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish 

1/8       teaspoon ground allspice 

¼         cup dry white wine 

2          tablespoons tomato paste 

2          (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini, drained and rinsed 

1          cup unsalted chicken stock 

1-1/2   cups fresh breadcrumbs

 

Directions

 

1.   Preheat oven to 375°F. Season chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chicken thighs, smooth side down. Cook, undisturbed, adjusting heat as necessary so thighs cook evenly without scorching, until edges turn opaque and bottoms are nicely browned, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook until internal temperature reaches 165°F, 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside on a plate. Do not wipe skillet clean.

2.   Return skillet and any drippings to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, onion, and sausage. Cook, stirring often, until onion is tender and light golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, allspice, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring often, until heated through and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine and tomato paste, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring often, 1 to 2 minutes. Add beans, stock, and 2 tablespoons oil; bring to a simmer.

3.   Shred chicken into bite-size pieces; add to onion mixture along with any drippings that have accumulated on the plate. Transfer to an 8- x 11-inch baking dish. Spread into an even layer. Toss breadcrumbs with remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Scatter breadcrumbs over bean mixture.

4.   Bake in preheated oven until heated through, top is browned, and sides are bubbly, about 20 minutes. (If baking from refrigerated, bake an additional 5 to 10 additional minutes.)

 

Make Ahead

 

The dish may be prepared through step 3, covered, and stored in refrigerator up to 1 day ahead.