Thursday, February 20, 2014

A Quick French Cassoulet / Sausages and White Beans Cassoulet-Style


Today I have a quick version of a French cassoulet, a sausage and white bean stew. A true French cassoulet is a hearty, slow-cooked, meat-studded stew from the South of France. The typical French version consists of duck confit, goose, pork or bacon, sometimes with mutton or veal, and is always combined with wine and beans. The southwestern French villages of Toulouse and Carcassone are thought to be the capital of cassoulet.

The recipe is Cassoulet-Style Italian Sausages and White Beans and it is from Pam Anderson’s delightful book Perfect One-Dish Dinners – All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers. If you aren’t familiar with Pam, be sure check out her blog Three Many Cooks. Pam is a former executive editor for Cooks Illustrated and has written several cookbooks, including one of my favorites - How to Cook Without a Book, Recipes & Techniques Every Cook Should Know By Heart.


A French cassoulet is a perfect one-dish meal for casual entertaining. Pam’s Cassoulet-Style Italian Sausages and White Beans is a quick version that comes together in about 10 to 15 minutes and only takes about an hour to cook. She shared her recipe here on Merry-Jennifer’s blog The Merry Gourmet. Merry-Jennifer’s recipe is almost exactly as written by Pam, but she modified the recipe slightly for her family’s taste by decreasing the cherry tomatoes from 3 pints to 2 and adding 4 cans of white beans instead of the 3 called for in the original recipe.

I followed Pam’s original recipe to a T and, as you can see above I included a butter crumb topping, which is typical in French cassoulet recipes. For the crumb topping, tear several slices of a good hearty bread or a European-style loaf into small pieces and chop them in a mini food processer until you have about two cups of fine bread crumbs. If you make more crumbs than you need, they store well in a baggie in the refrigerator or freezer. Melt two tablespoons of unsalted butter in a skillet and toss in the crumbs and season with a bit of sea salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown, about 12 – 15 minutes. Use the crunchy crumbs as a topping on the cassoulet before serving.

Cassoulet has long been a favorite in our family. You may remember my lighter version shown below, recipe here, that uses chicken as the base. If you’ve never eaten cassoulet, I really encourage you to give it a try. It’s French classical comfort food and just may become one of your family’s favorites too.


This will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm, Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, and Foodie Friday at Simple Recipes.   
Have a great weekend everyone.


Big News - Larry at Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings and Chris at Nibble Me This have just announced the dates for their 5th Annual Blogger Get-Together at Larry's home, Almost Heaven South, located on Tellico Lake in eastern Tennessee. The dates will be either June 7 or June 8. Here's a link to last years party from Larry's blog and a link to my post about last year's luau as well. If you are interested in attending, please contact Larry at the above link. Meakin and I been to every one of the get-togethers and absolutely everyone has a fabulous time. Guaranteed. 

Grab a plate and join me and the other bloggers for the 5th Annual Blogger's Get-together at Almost Heaven South on Tellico Lake, Tennessee in June.




36 comments:

  1. Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You look so pretty Sam..:) All that green..is quite refershing..
    My son -in-law loves cassoulets and makes them regularly..This one looks so delish!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You look GREAT in that beautiful spring dress!
    I had some stew made with white beans and ground meat for the lunch today...and I would love your cassoulet with sausages for the dinner. Looks so tasty and full of flavours.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This quick cassoulet is fantastic and ever so mouthwatering!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sam..Sam..Sam...you've made me instantly hungry over this one. What a great meal and love the quick version. Pinning this one. Hope I can make it to the blogger party. It helps that it's not over the Memorial Day Weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Perfect quick meal in the dog days of winter.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks fabulous, and I've never made this type of meal before.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I keep thinking one day I will make cassoulet but I have not done anything about it...You are most inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sam, We've never had a cassoulet but it sure looks good...all the ingredients sound like they go well together. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

    ReplyDelete
  10. Both the dish and the party sound great!

    xo

    Sheila

    ReplyDelete
  11. I try to make a cassoulet at least once a year but it is a chore. This looks like a perfect alternative. One of these days I'm going to steal that photographer of yours...great pictures, especially of you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That sounds wonderful Sam! I love this picture of you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. We love cassoulet but I have to admit this looks very tasty. Think I will buy some sausages when out tomorrow :-) Keep well Diane

    ReplyDelete
  14. QUE PLATO TAN RICO; y QUE GUAPA Y ELEGANTE ESTÁS EN LA FOTO CAROLINA...
    Un buen fin de semana amiga :))))
    Conxita

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Sam, Looks wonderful and the kind of food that I grew up with.
    Sounds like a wonderful get together of bloggers. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend, though I will look forward to the pictures.
    Blessings dear. Catherine xo

    ReplyDelete
  16. Man I wish I had a big ole bowl of cassoulet right now! Pam's recipe sounds good but I'd have to drain and rinse the beans... I like your dry beans recipe much better Sam! I know you'll have a blast at the outing and eat very well! Looking forward to your report:@)

    ReplyDelete
  17. this looks great and what a cute picture of you

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sam, this looks wonderful! A quicker version of cassoulet is a real keeper! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Everyone loves discovering a delicious new recipes delicious new recipes and an event this is a perfect opportunity to do so.

    ReplyDelete
  20. As much as I love a good cassoulet I've never tried making one. This looks like a delicious and manageable recipe with all the flavors of a more complicated recipe. What a perfect winter's day meal.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am going to make this....I love everything in the recipe! Great photography, Meakin!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Your cassoulet looks very delicious! I'll bet you'll have a blast at Larry's in June!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Fabulous photo of you, Sam!
    Had my first cassoulet in France...practically spoils one for anything else! But, my daughter urged me and I have made it a couple time at home. Been a while though and I'll opt for your recipe next time. Love the way it looks and I bet it tastes divine. Super little touch with the bread crumb topping.
    (The book sounds like something my mother would have written! What a gem.)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Perfect for Sunday lunch, Sam... thank you... this recipe is just what I'm looking for... I love cassoulet and this seems not too difficult to make... :)
    xv

    ReplyDelete
  25. Very nice. And very pretty! Your version looks much better than what I had in France in Carcassonne!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Printing this one out now! I know we'll love it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh I remember the first time i made a cassoulet like this and I was in love with it. I had never done something quite like it before. I think its time to bring on the cassoulet again and what better way than to use your recipe! It looks amazing

    ReplyDelete
  28. What a great cassoulet! I love about anything with white beans and have to try this. Thanks for the recipe! Yum!!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Forgot, hope to see you in June at Larry's!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Beautiful cassoluet! Simple and elegant like all your dishes you prepare for your blog. I enjoy one pot meals that are brimming with flavor like this one.

    You guys swill have a great time this year at Larry's. I look forward to reading the posts and enjoying the photos.

    Velva

    ReplyDelete
  31. I cook beans and sausages a lot and can't wait to try this version…especially with your crumb topping. I wish Larry didn't live so far away…I know my husband and I would love to get together with your group.

    ReplyDelete
  32. We had this for supper tonight! I can't believe how easy it was and how good!!!! Will be sharing it on my blog tomorrow -- with a link back here, of course! And the way it made the house smell! Heavenly.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Just realized that I forgot to do the crumb topping. Well, heck, I'll just have to make it again. And I can add the crumbs when we reheat the leftovers....

    ReplyDelete
  34. I don't believe I've ever had a cassoulet. The butter crumb topping sounds pretty good, for being such a simple addition. Thank you for sharing it on Foodie Friday

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.