Its not a Casserole, it's a Cassoulet

 

It's not a "hot dish" either for you Minnesotans reading.  

It is a cassoulet, a classic hearty stew of beans and meat (usually a local sausage, pork  and a confit duck leg).  My first cassoulet was had in the Bordeaux region of France.  It sadly was a fairly dismal affair as the pork tenderloin and the duck leg were so overcooked they were nearly inedible.  The stewed beans and sausage however were divine and I swore I'd make my own version using ingredients I know so as not to overcook it all.

Tonight was the night I made it.  The lovely Mrs. liked it and admitted she was leary of it based on our first version in France.  She really liked it and wanted me to add to our winter dinners and hearty lunches.

A few substitutions for you.  I used a lightly smoked Kielbasa but you can use any mild fully cooked smoke sausage your family prefers.  I use Cannellini beans as I like their creamy texture, if you can't find them use any canned white bean you can find instead.  Lastly, Cremini mushrooms are sometimes sold as "Baby Bella" 

 

Mushroom, Sausage, Chicken Cassoulet

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, quartered, skin removed
• 1 1lb Kielbasa or similar lightly smoked pork sausage
• 8 ounces Cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and caps sliced
• 3 oz dried mushrooms
• 1 c boiling water
• 1 medium sweet onion,  large dice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 15ounce cans Cannellini Beans 
• 3/4 c dry white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth
• 1 T dried Thyme
• 2 T dried parsley
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Method

Place dried mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and add the boiling water.  Set aside to steep and rehydrate at least 15 minutes

In large pot add olive oil and some butter and heat over medium flame until sizzling.  Add the quartered chicken pieces and brown on all side.  Remove chicken into a bowl and set aside.

Add sliced mushrooms to the hot pan.  Add more butter as needed if pan begins to dry out.  Sautee until mushrooms start to brown.  

Pour dried mushrooms through a tea strainer catching the liquid in a measuring cup (should have a scant cup).  Take the rehydrated mushroom and finely dice, adding to pot with fresh mushrooms.  Saute 1-2 minutes.  Add diced onion  Sauté a 2-3 minutes until soft.  Add minced garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes until fragrant.  

Add wine to deglaze the pan.  Simmer over medium heat until wine reduced by half.  Add reserve mushroom liquid, chicken broth and dried herbs. Add reserved chicken pieces.   Slice the sausage into 4 inch pieces and add to pan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer.

Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and gently stir into the pot.  Bring it all to a boil and reduce to simmer. Taste for seasonings at this point add salt and pepper as needed to taste.  Simmer 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with a crusty bread with butter and you have a hearty Cassoulet to enjoy!

Chili Mac - cassoulet or "hot dish"?

During a light rain this last week we got quite a little chill here in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles.  Low near 40 may look like a heat wave to my fam in Minnesota but here its enough to drag out the sweats and heavy jackets.  Days like this I like my comfort food.

I'm not quite sure where this particular dish came from.  My Ma has made similar over the years with the same name.  I can remember having it when I was really little in MI so I suspect the idea of chili and pasta drifted our way from Ohio where the folks in "cincy" serve their chili over spaghetti.

With the beans and such stewed together with meats is has a vague resemblance to the classic french cassoulet.  Make that very vague.  Of course we call one meal dishes casseroles with its route in that classic here in the US.  Well, most of us do except for the Iron Range of Minnesota where they call it a "hot dish".  Regardless of what you call it, it is hot, hearty and tasty.  Comfort food at its best.

Chili Mac

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1 onion - coarsely chopped

1 T chopped garlic

1 14 oz can chopped tomato

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

2 14 oz cans kidney beans - drained

2 14 oz cans low sodium beef broth

salt

1/2 t ground pepper

1 t oregano

2 bay leaf

2 T chili powder

olive oil

1 c elbow macaroni.

In large sauce pot add enough oil to just coat the bottom.  Heat until it begins to shimmer over medium-high heat.  Crumble in ground beef.  Add black pepper.  Cook until meat is no longer pink.  Move meat to side of pan, add onion.  Cook 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally until onions translucent and meat has some really dark caramelization.  Add garlic, oregano, chili powder, bay leaf and cook 1 minute longer.

Add tomato, tomato sauce and broth.  Heat to boil then reduce heat.  Simmer covered about 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.  Test seasoning at this point and add more salt if needed.

Add macaroni and stir in.  Cook 10-15 minutes longer until macaroni is cooked through.  If the mixture starts to dry out add 1/4 - 1/2 c water.  Serve hot with grated cheddar/jack cheese.