Cassoulet
Overview
Cassoulet is a slow-cooked French stew of white beans and meat, and the source is clear about that: it is rooted in the Languedoc region of southwest France and dates back to at least the mid 1300s. It was originally baked in an earthenware dish called a casserole, which is where the name comes from. The traditional version is elaborate. It calls for duck confit, the French method of preserving duck before refrigeration, along with a long list of meats: pork, sausage, lamb, salt pork, bacon, ham hocks, pork skin and pork shoulder. There are many regional versions and the source's own view is that the best come from home kitchens, which gives licence to improvise. **This recipe improvises considerably.** It uses goat meat rather than duck and pork, a bouillon cube, and a teaspoon of potash, all West African rather than French. The result is a genuine adaptation, cooking a French dish with a West African hand, and it is worth being clear about which parts are which. The dish is filed as European because that is what cassoulet is; the recipe as written is an African version of it. The one technique it keeps is the two stages: the meat is cooked and then fried before it meets the beans.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Mix the goat meat with the onion, ginger, garlic, clove, allspice, bouillon cube and salt. Add water and cook for 1 hour.
- 2
Remove the goat meat from the stock and fry until golden. Set aside.
- 3
Drain and rinse the beans and set aside.
- 4
Heat the oil and fry the diced onion for 2 minutes.
- 5
Add the tomato, broth seasoning, pepper, goat meat, tomato paste and potash, and cook for 5 minutes.
- 6
Add the drained beans and bring to a simmer over high heat.
- 7
Reduce to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
- 8
Serve immediately.
Africook’s Notes
- Cook the goat and then fry it. That two-stage treatment is what makes tough meat tender and then gives it colour, and it is the one part of the traditional method this version keeps.
- Rinse tinned beans well. The canning liquid is starchy and makes the finished stew gluey.
- Add the beans near the end. They are already cooked and will collapse if given the full braise.
- The potash is a West African addition rather than a French one, used to tenderise. Keep it to the teaspoon given.
- For something closer to a traditional cassoulet, use duck confit, pork and sausage in place of the goat, and dried haricot beans soaked overnight.
- It is better the next day, as almost all bean stews are.
Reviews
Be the first to rate this recipe
Cooked it? Your rating helps the next person decide whether to try it.
No reviews on this one yet. If you have cooked it, yours would be the first.
You Might Also Like
Papaya Smoothie for Weight Loss
Mozambique Matapa Recipe
Isombe
