Recipes

Cassoulet

When making Cassoulet there are 3 definite steps and each step demands that you show loving care. So put on your apron and let’s get ready to show some love.

The first part of Cassoulet is cooking a mix of braised meats in tomato, garlic and fresh herbs.

You will need the following:
5 pounds of pork cheeks
12 plain pork sausages
1 medium Spanish onion chopped
3 heads of garlic
1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
2 tablespoons of dried garlic flakes
32 ounces of canned chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper

(We buy our meats from Ottomanelli and Sons Prime Meats on Bleeker Street. Most things are easy to get but pork cheeks are a product that needs some advance ordering.)

In a Pre-heated 4 quart Dutch oven or braising pot add 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil (don’t forget “hot pot, cold oil”). In batches, so you do not crowd the pan, brown off pork cheeks. Remove meat from pan when nicely colored and keep to the side.
Take the sausage and pierce lightly with the tip of a knife. (You do this so there is no “explosion” of the sausage while it is cooking). Remove the sausage when it is also nicely browned.

Place the chopped onion into the pan.

Cook onions in the pan until translucent and then add the pork cheeks back into the pot. Stir the meat, onions and 2 teaspoons of dried thyme together.

Add the tomato product and bring to a simmer.

Add 3 whole heads of garlic, 2 tablespoons of dried garlic flakes, salt and pepper.
.
Do not place the sausage in the pot.

The meat should be put into a 400 degree preheated oven for 2 hours, then add the sausage to cook for another 30 minutes. (The pork cheeks are meant to cook a low and slow for a rich tender consistency, the sausage is added later so they don’t over cook during the process.)

When done, (the meat should be “fork tender”) remove the meat and hold in a plastic container.

Take a food mill or strainer and press the heads of garlic so that the paste of cooked garlic can be pushed out of the cloves and then stirred into the tomato sauce.

The meat and the sauce are kept separate. They should be cooled in the conventional way (the containers should be placed in ice and cold water) and then stored in a refrigerator until the next day.

The next part of the process is starting the beans, which are this dish’s main stay. There is a choice of beans that you can use, one is the Tarbais bean (imported from France) or the more commonly used Great Northern White. Due to the high cost of the Tarbais, I am more inclined to use the Great Northern White. But whatever you use you should use 21/2 pounds of them and they should be dry.

I like to soak the beans over night in cold water in a 5 gallon stock pot. When you put them in to soak, cover them with water and then “1/2 more”.

To cook the beans you need:
1 large Spanish onion, peeled
2 dried leaves bay laurel
3 pieces of clove
1 carrot, peeled
2 ribs of celery
1 tablespoon of dried thyme
2 tablespoons of dried garlic flakes
1 head of garlic
Salt and pepper

After soaking the beans for 10 to 12 hours, strain beans of any excess soaking water and then add water to cover and then ½ more.

Place the bay leaf on peeled whole onion and anchor them together by pushing in cloves. You are now making what is known in French culinary terms as “oignon pique” (the pricked onion).

Put the pique, carrot, celery, head of garlic, garlic flakes and thyme to the beans. Cook beans on high heat till they come to the boil. Adjust heat lower so the beans are cooking at a constant simmer.

Do not add salt or pepper.

After 45 minutes, taste test beans for doneness. If they are slightly soft and not “gritty” when tasted, add salt and pepper. Allow the beans to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes longer.

While you beans are cooking take the Cassoulet sauce out of the refrigerator. The liquid will have a layer of fat that needs to be skimmed off. The “sauce” will be slightly firm and gelatinous.

After the beans have seriously simmered for an hour, there will be less liquid in the pot. This is when the sauce should be scooped in to the bean stock pot. The liquid should now simmer for at least another ½ to ¾ of an hour.

Okay, this is where my recipe deviates from most others. I do not add the meats to the cooking beans. I feel it avoids the chance of over cooking the meat and the beans. Most of the flavor and gelatinous mouth feel is in the meat sauce, and it will certainly carry over in the finished recipe.

When the beans are done (soft and silky, but not smooshy and broken) remove the large pieces of vegetable (carrots, celery and onion) and squeeze the garlic out of the cloves into the beans. Taste for salt and pepper.

Place the beans in containers and cool down and then place in the refrigerator.

The third and final day would be for cooking the confit.

I will describe the full on recipe for the duck confit in a later blog.
For the sake of anyone who is not familiar with the dish, duck confit is duck legs cooked very slowly in its own flavorful fat.

For this recipe just go to Ottomanelli’s on Bleeker and get some already cooked. The brand name is D’Artagnan and you will need 6 legs.

So now it is the third day and all the flavors have had time to just become richer. Now the reward for all this hard work!

In a Large oven proof clay pot (classic) or a large Pyrex glass oven to table pan, place a layer of beans and juice in the container of your choice. Take a piece of duck confit, which are usually legs and divide the piece in half. There should be 6 legs and that will give you 12 pieces. Take sausage and break into 3 or 2 pieces and add 1 to 2 pork cheeks per person. You will cover this layer of meat with a layer of bean and sauce.

Scatter a light layer of plain bread crumbs and drizzle a little duck fat over the surface of the Cassoulet. Place in a pre- heated 400 degree oven for 20- 25 minutes till the Cassoulet is brown and bubbling.
Feeds 10-12 people

Goat Cheese Soformato

1/2 lb. Fresh Goat Cheese
3/4 cup Heavy Cream
2 large Eggs
Salt and Pepper

Pre heat oven to 450 degrees

Combine all the above until smooth.  Spray Ramekins (container either ceramic or metal) with Pam.  Fill with mixture and bake in roasting pan with water bath for 15 – 20  minutes.  Insert skewer or toothpick, it should come out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Unmold to serve.  ( dip briefly in hot water, if necessary, to help unmold.)

Serve this with a salad, roasted beets or peppers.

Lamb – Mint Tortellini with a Yogurt – Pimenton Dolce Sauce

For tortellini stuffing
½ # of Ground Lamb
½ cup finely chopped sweet onion

2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
2 Tablespoons chopped roasted pine nuts (you can substitute walnuts or pistachio nuts if you have them on hand)
1 egg
1Tablespoon Greek – Style Yogurt
¼ teaspoon of Pimenton Picante

In a hot pan add a touch of olive oil and sauté ½ cup finely chopped sweet onion until its translucent. Remove from pan and hold to the side.
In the same pan, place ground lamb and brown off until it is full cooked.
Place in a strainer with cooked onions and allow fat to strain off and cool down.

Place onion – lamb mixture in bowl with mint, nuts, egg, yogurt and salt and pepper;
add Pimenton Picante and mix thoroughly. Taste the mixture for salt and pepper.

The stuffing can be used with fresh pasta or wonton skins (which can be found in your local Asian market freezer). You can also cook the tortellini straight away or put in freezer until ready to use.

Bring a large amount of well – salted water to a rolling boil and add prepared tortellini. When the pasta comes up to the top, let it boil for a few minutes more and remove with a slotted spoon. Make to drain as much water as possible. Place pasta in a warm bowl and toss with a ½ cup of Greek Yogurt, a sprinkling of Pimenton Dolce and salt and pepper.

Smothered Roasted Celery Root with Tarragon

Celery Root … so you can find it in the market.
2 – 3 large “knobs” of Celery Root (peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon dried Tarragon
3 Red Onion thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper

Take cubed celery root and toss in a bowl with olive oil and dried tarragon. Place in a Pyrex “Oven to Table” or anything that looks good on the table but is ready to go in a real hot oven. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
Take the thinly sliced red onion and spread over the top of celery root mix. Drizzle a little more olive oil. Add Salt and pepper.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and place in a pre heated 400 degree oven. Cook covered for 45 minutes. Uncover, the onions should be slightly translucent and the celery root “fork tender”. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes until the onions start to caramelize. Don’t burn. You can do this recipe with turnips.