Cassoulet?

A cassoulet is a melange of rich meats, white beans, fat and aromatics, cooked slowly over many hours. The recipe here, although claiming the name, has really no more right to it than many pizza. However, it is warming and it is hearty and it is a favourite go to on a cold day.

Reading recipes for cassoulet, the fat content looks a bit to heavy for my liking and so whilst I am using the name, I am never likely to have a go at a real cassoulet. Indeed, even reading Escoffier's take on this dish, it reads a bit like something from the Collector of Tales.

This recipe really is a version of Alubias Estofadas (i.e. stewed beans) but I'll never get around to remembering that. So let's get stuck into the recipe straightaway and the sooner cooked the sooner enjoyed!

Ingredients

• 3 tins of beans drained ( I used cannellini, borlotti and fava)

• two carrots

• 1 large onion

• 1 stick celery

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp mustard

• 2 tbsp tomato puree

• 500 ml chicken stock

• 500g meaty sausages

• 150g chorizo

• 1 red chilli pepper

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• Olive oil for frying

• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Dice the onion, slice the carrots the chilli and the celery. Then roughly chop the garlic.

Cook the sausages whole either in the oven or on the hob and set aside when cooked.

Add some oil to a heavy based pan and then fry off the onions, celery, carrot and chilli for about 5 minutes before adding the garlic. Fry for a further few minutes keeping an eye so that the garlic doesn't burn.

Add the paprika, mustard, puree and chicken stock to the vegetables and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Drain the beans and add them to the pot and incorporate, turning down the heat to ensure a gentle simmer.

Once the sausages have stood for a while, slice thickly along with the chorizo and add to the pot. Top up with a little water or extra stock if the mix is too thick.

Keep over a low heat fopr about 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.

Serve with crusty bread.

Observations

This meal doesn't have to have meat in it. You can replace the chicken stock with vegetable and add a tin more of beans instead of the sausages and chorizo for a vegetarian alternative. The image at the top only shows beans and vegetables (but rest assured , the meat is below the surface).

To make it more meaty, you could add some pork bell slices cut into large cubes. they just need to be fried off after the soffrito much like the sausages below. Make sure you ensure the meat is cooked before serving.

The sausages can be cooked in the pot rather than separately. Slice them thickly and add to the pan once the soffrito has fried up a little so that they brown off a little. The same for the chorizo. Again, for the sausages and if using 'raw' chorizo , make sure that the meat is cooked before serving.

Depending upon how spicy you make it (maybe add a little cayenne or pimenton picante) it could benefit by the addition of cream or sour cream to serve.