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!

Gnocchi with Brown Butter Mushrooms and Herbs

Gnocchi is those little potato dumplings that are light as a feather and totally act as the best damn flavor carrier in the world.  I buy mine from a local Italian Deli (Claro's) to save time in the kitchen.  Fresh herbs and mushrooms in a brown butter sauce finishes them perfectly.  A quick shave of Parm gives it the final touch to take it from terrific to awesome.

I use cremini mushrooms (aka baby portabella) as they have a nuttier richer flavor than the more easily found white button mushrooms.  Easy swap with only a minor difference in flavor.

Browning butter is easy, takes a few minutes but the results are worth it....a richer nutty flavor to play off the mushrooms and accent the freshness of the herbs.Simply heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add butter and stir gently until it stops foaming.  The milk solids in the butter will turn a golden brown and then you're ready to cook.

Gnocchi with Brown Butter Mushrooms and Herbs

1 8 oz package gnocchi

1 stick unsalted butter

1 T minced garlic

salt

pepper

8 oz cremini mushrooms - sliced

1 T fresh thyme (stripped from 4-5 stems)

1 T fresh sage - chiffonaded

Parmesan cheese

Brown butter.  Add mushrooms,garlic, thyme and sage when it stops foaming.  Saute until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste,  8-10 minutes,

Bring salted water to a boil.  Cook gnocchi according to package or recipe directions.  When they are done and floating remove with a spider and add to the browned butter and mushroom mixture.  Toss to coat.  Serve with a dusting of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Mushroom Lasagna...tastes way better than it looks

So today was one of those days where I tore through recipe books trying to figure out what to do for dinner.  I was in the mood for cooking so I wasn't too worried about it being fast nor easy.

This recipe is a combo of a few different recipes.  I included the thyme, as well, thyme plays so well with mushrooms and the inspiration recipe didn't include it for reasons I don't understand.  I'm glad I did include as that subtle grassy flavor of thyme plays well through out the dish.

I used cremini mushrooms also called "baby bella" or "baby portobello" mushrooms.  It really is just a tiny version of the huginormous portobella's out there.  Same 'shroom just a different size.  And if you can find the already sliced variety like I do at the market your work is even shortened a bit.

Mushroom Lasagna
12 lasagna noodle cooked according to package directions
1 c grated Parmesan
White Sauce
1 stick butter
4C whole milk
1/2 c all purpose flour
1T sea salt
1 t black pepper
1 t fresh grated nutmeg
Mushroom Filling
1 lb sliced cremini mushroom
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
2 T loose packed fresh thyme leaves (or 1 T dry)


Preheat oven to 375F
Cook noodles according to package directions.  Set aside.


To make white sauce heat milk over medium heat.  Melt butter in large sauce pan until melted.  Add flour and cook until dissolved.  Add hot milk all at once and whisk until smooth.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir constantly over medium high heat until  thick and starting to bubble, about 3-5 minutes.  Set aside off flame.


In large skillet add olive oil and 1T butter over medium high heat.  Add half the mushrooms, salt, pepper and thyme.  Stir often until mushrooms have lost most of their moisture and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Pour out into bowl. Repeat with remaining mushrooms.


Constructing the Lasagna.  Lightly spray with Pam a 9X13 baking dish.  Place about 1 cup of white sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Add 3 noodles to the bottom of the pan.  Spread on 1/4 the white sauce on top of the noodles.  Add 1/3 mushrooms, 1/4 C Parmesan.  Repeat with next two layers.  The final layer will be noodles with white sauce and Parmesan.  Bake in oven until golden brown on top and bubbly at the edges about 30-45 minutes.