Neighbor Favors, Part Two

Probably the most talented home cook I know is my brother's wife, Ann, who has been known to make Julia Child's cassoulet from scratch, including making her own sausage to start. Imagine! When I received a gift of duck legs from my neighbor Theresa, I thought briefly about making that hallowed recipe but once I started reading it, I changed my mind. Even retired, I don't have that kind of time and with three kinds of meat needing immediate preparation, I really didn't have that kind of time.

Instead, I did what I usually do - I improvised. I read a number of online recipes as well as Mrs. Child's and came up with a version that incorporates, I hope, most of the wonders of this plain and hearty dish with a bit less of the fuss. I didn't have confit duck legs, so it wasn't the same, but I like to think it's still pretty good.

Impromptu Cassoulet

2 links of spicy Italian sausage (or bulk spicy sausage)
2 duck legs, cut into four pieces each (I used a big, heavy knife to chop through the bones)
1 cup small dry white beans, such as Navy beans
1 quart beef broth
1 bouquet garni* including 1 bay leaf (1/2 if it's a California bay leaf), 2 sprigs fresh thyme, a small bunch of fresh flat leafed parsley, 5 or so whole peppercorns, 2 sprigs of celery leaves)
olive oil
2 carrots, cut in 1" chunks
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Quick-soak beans by covering them in with water by about 1" and bringing them to a boil. Off the heat, let them sit for about an hour. (You can also soak them without boiling overnight or for at least 8 hours if you have lots of time).

While the beans are soaking, squeeze dollops of the Italian sausage out of the casings and into a preheated, oiled pan. Brown the sausage, then set aside. In the same pan, brown the duck legs thoroughly and remove the skin (you can make cracklings from the skin if you slowly fry it in a separate pan and I have heard that the rendered duck fat from this process is heaven to cook with, although I haven't tried it myself as yet). Set aside. Pour out most of the fat from the pan, then add the carrots and onion and cook until soft, deglaze with a little of the beef broth so you get all the goodies.

After the hour of soaking, drain the water from the beans and replace it with the beef broth; if you don't have enough broth, add some water - you want the liquid to cover the beans. Add the bouquet garni to the beans and gently boil until the beans are tender, about an extra 45 minutes-1 hour. Remove the bouquet garni and discard.

Assemble the dish by pouring the beans into a shallow, ovenproof casserole dish and mixing them with the onions, carrots and deglazing liquid. Nestle the meats in amongst the beans, making sure they are covered with liquid. If they aren't, add a little water or broth. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for an hour or two - until the scents tell you that all is one in the universe. The duck will be falling off the bones and the liquid will have turned to savory sauce. You can mash some of the beans against the side of the casserole and mix them in to thicken the sauce if it seems too watery.

I like to serve this with lightly buttered garlic toasts, slices of baguette that have been toasted and rubbed with garlic. You can make a garlic crumb topping if you prefer. Add a little olive oil to a skillet and cook a clove or two of minced garlic until fragrant, just about a minute. Add 1-2 cups bread crumbs (fresh) and continuing cooking and stirring until the crumbs are crisp and golden, a few minutes more. Top the casserole with these crumbs, or serve them alongside in a bowl for sprinkling over each serving.

This is such a hearty meal that you won't need more than a green salad to finish the plate.

*A bouquet garni is a French term for a little "teabag" of herbs and flavorings made with a square of cheesecloth and tied with cotton string. Make the string extra long on one end so you can tie in to the handle of the pot for easy retrieval. You could just put all these seasonings loose in the pot but then they are the devil to fish out later.

Kinda, Sorta Cassoulet

I hope my French readers (if there are any) will forgive me for this less-than-traditional bean stew that I'm daring to call cassoulet; I'm inclined to go with what I have at home rather than make another market run for ingredients.

I did a riff on this recipe. Mine does have beans and three kinds of meats, so it qualifies in a way. I subbed Navy beans rather than Great Northern and cooked them in chicken stock rather than beef. I cut up leftover lamb roast, chicken apple sausage and the last four of the Reverend Dr. Biggles' smoked pork ribs, and even buried the bones in the casserole to lend their flavor to the dish. Peeled, chopped tomatoes went in and, as I didn't have any cloves on hand, I substituted a little allspice. Other than that, I followed the recipe. I know, I know, not very faithful to the original but, man, was it ever good!

The lamb added richness to the sausage and the pork and bones gave it all just a hint of the smoke Biggles so lovingly added. Even the beans were tasty, not just there to add bulk. I served it with a crisp green salad and French bread to soak up the scary-delicious juices.

Best of all, it made enough for two or three days so I can kick back, pour myself a soda and read trashy novels for the next two days.

Cassoulet

My brother's wife makes cassoulet that is to die for. She soaks her own beans, makes her own sausage from scratch, prepares all the other meats and ingredients, and presents us, when we are lucky enough to wheedle her into that much work, with a simply ambrosial dinner. I wondered if cassoulet in France could measure up.

The answer is, not quite. However, the cassoulet I enjoyed at the Auberge du Jarente, a Basque restaurant in the Marais section of Paris, was rich with sausage, beans, duck and pork and was very, very good. Both times I have enjoyed this tiny restaurant, the food has been excellent and the friendly patrons even more fun than the victuals.

The first time we ate there, two years ago, the lunch we ordered did not come with wine and we didn't think to order any - incroyable! to the two dapper French gentlemen seated at the next table. They struck up a conversation and remarked upon the lack of wine, insisting that we share their bottle! Who says the French are unfriendly? It was a lovely wine, too - Franco-American relations took a good turn that day.

This time, even though we had ordered wine, we met another couple from the Bay Area as well as a lovely family of Parisians who complemented us on our choice of domicile, saying that they had visited San Francisco and loved it. They complimented San Francisco on its fine food, high praise indeed from Parisians!

We toasted my sister-in-law as we enjoyed our cassoulet - nearly as good as hers and the bonhomie gave it just the right feeling.