Hearty Toulouse Cassoulet
with a kick of Chilli
Much as the Italians will often add an unchopped clove of garlic to the pan to infuse just a hint of flavour, here you’ll stab the chilli and pop it in whole to release a little heat but keep things subtle. The beauty of this recipe is that you can adjust the spice level by sticking your knife in as many times as you like. Patrick likes his cassoulet a bit cheeky so his chilli looked like a pin cushion!
Ingredients
4
Toulouse Sausage
1
Chicken Stock Powder
200
Cherry Plum Tomatoes
60
British Smoked Bacon Lardons
8
Thyme
1
Onion
1
Yellow Pepper
15
Tomato Puree
2
Garlic Clove
½
Red Chilli
1
Bay Leaf
1
Flat Leaf Parsley
1
Cannellini Beans
Not included in your delivery
100
Water
Utensils
Instructions
Halve, peel and thinly slice the onion into half moons. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Halve, then remove the core from the pepper and chop into 3cm cubes. Finely chop the parsley (stalks and all).
Heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper, cook gently until the veggies are soft, 5 mins. Add the garlic and tomato purée, stir and cook for 1-2 mins to allow the full flavour of the tomato to be released.
Preheat your grill to high. Cut the cherry plum tomatoes in half and add to the veggie mixture in the pan. Drain and rinse the cannellini beans in a colander. Add the beans along with the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, chicken stock pot and the water (amount specified in the ingredient list). Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and let it bubble away until it thickens, 20 mins. This is your cassoulet.
Stab the red chilli with a knife and add to the pan. TIP: The more you stab the chilli, the more spice and seeds will be released - so if you want a milder version only make a few small stabs.
While your cassoulet is cooking, put the sausage on a foil-lined baking tray and pop under the grill until cooked through, 15-20 mins. TIP: The sausage is cooked when it is no longer pink in the middle.
Remove the cassoulet from the heat, taste and season to your liking. Remove the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and red chilli before serving. Spoon the cassoulet into bowls, share the grilled sausages on top and finish with a sprinkling of the chopped parsley. Time to dig in!
