Quick French Cassoulet

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Comment by eTaste on October 3, 2008 at 2:59pm

This week, chef Johnny Vee helps us prepare for the chilly nights of fall with a quick but tasty version of cassoulet — a hearty French bean-based stew from the Languedoc region.
In Santa Fe, you can find already prepared confit of duck at Kaune Foodtown or order them over the Internet. If you decide to make your own using the recipe that follows — leftovers are great for duck hash, or for adding flavor to other soups and stews — you also can usually find the frozen uncooked legs and the canned goose fat for preparing them at Kaune’s, 511 Old Santa Fe Trail.

QUICK FRENCH CASSOULET
(Serves 6 to 8)
2 tablespoons olive oil or goose fat
2 single boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound smoked sausage (such as kielbasa) cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 confit of duck legs, skinned, boned and shredded (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and chopped tomatoes
2 (15.5 ounce) cans white beans
3/4 cup white vermouth or dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
Salt to taste

Heat olive oil or goose fat in the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken pieces and sauté until nicely browned but not completely cooked. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Add sausage to Dutch oven and sauté until browned. If using confit of duck, add that to pan and brown slightly.
Add onion and garlic to pan and sauté until onion softens, about 3 minutes.
Drain tomatoes and beans and add to pan. Stir in vermouth or wine, stock, thyme, parsley and pepper. Simmer over medium heat until liquid has been reduced by one-third — about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in medium fry pan and add bread crumbs. Stir crumbs over medium heat until nicely browned.
Return chicken to Dutch oven, stir once, taste and season cassoulet with salt. Scatter bread crumbs over top of casserole and bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until mixture is bubbling and baked through.
Serve hot.
(Recipe adapted from Cooking with Johnny Vee: International Cuisine with a Modern Flair, Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2008, $24.95)


CONFIT OF DUCK
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
6 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves, crumbled
coarsely ground black pepper
4 duck legs with thighs
4 duck wings, trimmed
About 4 cups duck or goose fat

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish or plastic container large enough to hold the duck pieces in a single layer. Evenly scatter half the garlic, shallots, thyme and bay leaves in the container. Arrange the duck, skin-side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining salt, sugar, garlic, shallots, thyme and bay leaves and a little pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Melt the duck fat in a small saucepan. Brush the salt and seasonings off the duck.
Arrange the duck pieces in a single snug layer in a high-sided baking dish or ovenproof saucepan. Pour the melted fat over the duck — the duck pieces should be covered by fat — and place the confit in the oven. Cook the confit slowly at a very slow simmer — just an occasional bubble — until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, 2 to 3 hours.
Remove the confit from the oven. Cool and store the duck in the fat. (The confit will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.)
Note: The duck fat can be strained, cooled and reused.