Recipe File: Cassoulet (adapted from the Larousse Gastronomique)

MANILA, Philippines - For 8 persons

Ingredients:

1 kg white beans

200 g pork skin (enough to cover the bottom of a big casserole)

1 carrot (more if you want more veggies)

5 garlic cloves

3 onions

1 whole onion with a whole clove spice stuck into it

300 g lard de poitrine (I use bacon)

2 bouquets garnis (I use whatever herbs I have at home)

750 g pork loin (I use the pork for BBQ or the ribs)

500 g deboned lamb breast (Since this is not often readily available in the grocery, I just use this quantity and get pork.)

100 g duck confit fat (but if I don’t have, its fine!)

3 pork cubes

1 fresh pork sausage (big)

4 portions duck confit (if none, I use 4 chicken quarters)

40 cm of fresh pork sausage (thin)

bread crumbs

rock salt

pepper

Soak the beans overnight. Peel the carrot, garlic and onions. Pick 1 onion with the clove. Chop the carrot and the bacon into small pieces. (Not too small.) Place the beans in a casserole with the bacon, the pork skin, the carrots, the whole onion with the clove, 3 garlic cloves and some herbs. Cover with water. Cover the casserole. Cook slowly until beans are soft/cooked. Salt. Cut the meat into big pieces. Melt 50g of duck fat (If none, use butter and a bit of olive oil) and pan-fry the meat for 10 minutes, salt and pepper. Mince the 3 remaining onions, crush 2 garlic cloves and add them to the meat with some herbs. Put in the pork cubes with some water and cook covered for 40 minutes, adding water from time to time so it won’t dry up. Remove the onions and garlic and add the sausages. Let simmer for about an hour. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C. Drain the meat. Cut them to the same size. Blanket the bottom of a big casserole with the pork skin. Cover with a layer of white beans, then a layer of the meats with the sauce. Cover with a layer of beans until the casserole is full, alternating the layers and seasoning each layer with some freshly ground pepper. Cover with breadcrumbs, 50 g of duck fat (if none, it’s fine, no need to substitute). Cook in the oven for around an hour and a half. (The longer the better, actually.)