January 11, 2021
We’ve done this several times now so it was time to document it! This is an amazing french classic which you pretty much have to do yourself. It is almost never found in a restaurant. We were introduced to it in one of the rare ones that closed long ago - Z Cuisine where the chef was Patrick, who came from France.
We started out with the Cook’s Illustrated version, French Pork and White Bean Casserole (Cassoulet). We used canned beans, since Cook's Illustrated now recommends them. See the review of Canned White Beans. As that notes, almost all dried beans are way too dry to successfully cook and wow! it worked.
We’ve tried it with a Wally’s garlic sausage and that's pretty good, but we really like using kielbasa.
The mise en place, except for the kielbasa, which is already being browned on the stove and the bouquet garni. At the left of the cutting board is the 1.5 lbs of trimmed, cubed pork shoulder. At the right of the board are the carrots. Then behind the board, from left the right, are the white wine, the canned beans, the 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (facing the wrong way, oops!), the condensed Minor’s chicken stock, the onions, 4 cups of stock made from the Minor’s and the tomato paste.
The kielbasa being browned and the bouquet garni.
Using a spider and the pork shoulder.
Out of the oven, the dish is finished!