French stew Cassoulet
13 servings
420 minutes
Cassoulet, one of the most wonderful French stews. With beans and meat, and different ones: from pork knuckle and duck legs to hunting sausages and bacon. Its consistency can be varied: some people like to make cassoulet closer to a thick soup, some - closer to a casserole.


1
Soak the beans in 7.5 cups of water overnight. Heat 2 tablespoons of duck fat (can be replaced with olive oil if needed) in a deep skillet. Sauté half the garlic, roughly chopped carrots, and onions until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- White beans: 500 g
- Duck fat: 180 g
- Garlic: 16 cloves
- Onion: 2 heads
- Carrot: 2 pieces

2
Add pork hocks, beans, and the water they were soaked in to the vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1.5 hours.
- Pork knuckle: 2 pieces
- White beans: 500 g

3
Remove the pork and place it on a plate to cool. Remove the skin, separate the meat from the bone, and cut into large pieces.

4
In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat 2 tablespoons of duck fat. Sear the pork shoulder for 8 minutes until golden brown, add bacon, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic to the meat and cook for 5 minutes.
- Duck fat: 180 g
- Pork shoulder: 500 g
- Bacon: 250 g
- Garlic: 16 cloves

5
Add thyme and bay leaves to the vegetables in the pan, then add tomatoes. Cook until thickened for 8-10 minutes.
- Fresh thyme: 4 stems
- Bay leaf: 3 pieces
- Pelati tomatoes: 200 g

6
Add wine, then evaporate to half the volume
- White wine: 200 ml

7
Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for another hour without covering, until the mixture thickens. Remove herbs and take off the heat. Let it steep.
- Chicken broth: 400 ml

8
Meanwhile, fry the duck legs in 2 tablespoons of fat for 8 minutes. Remove the meat from the legs, cutting off all the fat.
- Duck fat: 180 g
- Duck legs: 4 pieces

9
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Mix the beans with the meat, transfer to a clay baking dish, evenly cover with breadcrumbs, and drizzle with the remaining duck fat. Bake uncovered for 3 hours.
- White beans: 500 g
- Breadcrumbs: 400 g

10
Then preheat the oven to 220 degrees and bake for 5 minutes until a golden crust forms.









