Vegetable Cassoulet Frnch Women Recipes

VEGETARIAN CASSOULET RECIPE

Steps:

• Use about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to coat the bottom of a large (about 3½ quart), heavy-bottomed pot (A Dutch Oven is perfect). Place the pot over medium-high heat and add the onions. Stirring every few minutes or so, cook the onions until they are very tender and are beginning to become brown, about 15 minutes. Add the roasted garlic and stir to blend.
• Add the carrots and cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Then add the kale and cook until it's completely wilted, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the artichokes, oregano and thyme, and cook for a couple of minutes, until it's very aromatic.
• Deglaze the pot with the tomatoes, sherry and stock. Use a flat-bottomed wooden spatula to scrape any stuck bits of food from the bottom of the pot, back into the mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Then uncover the pot, turn the heat to medium and cook to reduce the liquid by about half. This should take about 20 minutes.
• Fold in the beans and season generously to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)
• Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 x 2½ inch baking dish, or two 9 inch pie dishes.
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly on top and then drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated 300°F oven for 1½ hours. Then cover loosely with foil, and bake for another 30 minutes. (If the top isn't as golden as you'd like, you can place it under the broiler for about 30 seconds.)
• Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

VEGETARIAN CASSOULET (CASSOULET DE LEGUMES)

Steps:

• Cook beans according to package directions; can be cooked in a pressure cooker or crockpot. Cook until tender but don't overcook.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Reserve 5 of the garlic cloves.
• In a large heavy saute pan, over medium-high heat, saute the pepper, carrots, potato and remaining garlic cloves, in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• In an earthenware (or corningware) casserole, layer the cooked drained beans, sauteed vegetables, diced tomatoes, herbes de Provence, thyme, red wine, and stock, sprinkling each layer with salt and pepper.
• Cover casserole with a tight fitting lid and bake for about one hour.
• Add more liquid if needed to keep the beans from burning.
• Mince the reserved garlic cloves.
• Combine minced garlic with the bread crumbs, minced parsley and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Increase oven heat to 400 degrees F.
• Remove casserole from the oven, remove lid and spread half of the crumb mixture over the top.
• Return uncovered casserole to the oven and bake about 15 minutes, or until a golden crust has formed.
• Break the crust and stir it into the cassoulet.
• Repeat by spreading the remaining half of the crumb mixture over the top of the cassoulet.
• Return uncovered dish to the oven and bake until the second and final crust has formed.
• Then serve.

CASSOULET WITH LOTS OF VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the meat, and cook, turning as needed, until the meat is deeply browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
• Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic, leeks or onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini or cabbage; and sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their liquid, the reserved meat, and the herbs and bring to a boil. Add the beans; bring to a boil again, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat so the mixture bubbles gently but continuously. Cook for about 20 minutes, adding the liquid when the mixture gets thick and the vegetables are melting away.
• Fish out the meat and remove the bones and skin as needed. Chop into chunks and return to the pot along with the cayenne. Cook another minute or two to warm through, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary and serve.