Best Bean Cassoulet With Fennel Spiced Chicken And Roasted Vegetables Recipes

CREAMY WHITE BEAN AND FENNEL CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Trim the fennel. Cut it in half lengthwise and slice it crosswise, about 1/4-inch thick (reserve about 1/4 cup roughly chopped fennel fronds). Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Add the sliced fennel, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but still retaining a little bite, about 12 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour 1 can white beans and its liquid into a blender. Add the heavy cream, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil and purée until smooth. Drain and rinse the remaining can of beans and transfer it to the skillet along with the bean purée. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Mix the panko with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl. Add the Parmesan, lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat. Sprinkle evenly over the fennel-white bean mixture.
• Bake until bubbly and lightly golden on top, about 15 minutes. Broil until topping is browned in spots, 1 to 2 minutes, if desired. Top with reserved fennel fronds and serve.

ROOT VEGETABLE CASSOULET

Steps:

• The night before you want to make the cassoulet, put the dried beans in a pot with enough cold water to cover them by at least an inch. Let the beans soak overnight in the refrigerator, then rinse and drain them. (Or, if you're in a rush--or you haven't planned far enough in advance--bring the water with the beans to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, pull the pot from the heat, and soak the beans for an hour. Rinse the beans under cold water and drain.)
• Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small saute pan or skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are tender but not colored, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and, when it's incorporated evenly, add the diced tomato; pull the pan from the heat and set aside.
• Put the beans in a Dutch oven or large casserole. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Add the celery, carrots, turnips, fennel, split tomato, and the bouquet garni. Cut a parchment paper circle to fit inside the pot (see Glossary, page 369) and press the paper gently against the ingredients. Lower the heat so that the liquid bubbles at a steady simmer, and cook, stirring now and then, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Season the casserole with salt and pepper shortly before the beans are cooked through. When the beans are done, pull the pot from the heat and remove and discard the bouquet garni and whatever is left of the tomato. Drain the liquid from the pot into a pitcher and keep close at hand. Working gently, transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
• Spoon the beans into a baking dish--a pottery casserole would be perfect--and stir in the onion-tomato paste mixture along with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to just cover the beans. Top with the vegetables and moisten with more of the cooking liquid. Reserve the remaining liquid if you are going to reheat the cassoulet. (The cassoulet can be made up to this point a day in advance, cooled, and stored tightly covered in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature, then reheat it for about 1 hour in a 350 degree F. oven, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid if the casserole seems dry. Fifteen minutes before the cassoulet's ready, put on the crust and turn up the oven temperature, as directed below.)
• The Crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Toss together the bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley and stir in the melted butter. Spread the mixture evenly over the cassoulet and slide the casserole into the oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown and crusty.
• To Serve: Bring the casserole to the table and serve immediately, spooning crust, vegetables, and beans into warm soup plates.

WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium stock pot. Add the vegetables to the oil, stir frequently, and cook until lightly brown around the edges. Add remaining ingredients, except sausage, 1 at a time. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in sausage and allow to cook for 10 more minutes. Place in bowls, spoon 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sausage into each bowl. Serve with Garlic-Parmesan Crostini.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the sausage with salt, to taste, and carefully place in a single layer across the skillet. Cook the sausage for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Turn the sausages and repeat on opposite side. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat. Brush the garlic oil on the top and bottom of each slice of bread. Place the bread in a single layer over a sheet pan. Sprinkle each slice with parmesan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on the middle oven rack until bread browns over the top. Serve.

CASSOULET

Steps:

• Drain the beans and put into a large heavy casserole, preferably enameled cast iron, with bacon, pork rind, garlic, 1 onion, the carrot, and the bouquet garni. Cover with the 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat, stirring often, until beans are barely tender, about 1 hour. Drain and return to casserole, discarding onion and bouquet garni.
• Add the remaining onion, the duck legs, demi-glace mixture, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
• Drain the bean mixture in a colander over a bowl and reserve 5 cups of the cooking liquid. Discard bacon and pork rind. Remove the duck legs and cut each in half at the joint. Season beans with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grindings of pepper.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place half the bean mixture in casserole. Add duck legs, duck sausage, and garlic sausage, and cover with remaining beans. Add reserved cooking liquid and drizzle the duck fat over the top. Cover and bake until hot and bubbling, about 2 hours. (Cassoulet may be prepared ahead to this point, then cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before proceeding).
• Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Uncover cassoulet and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

FENNEL-ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Prepare all vegetables and place in a large bowl. Cover generously with olive oil and Fennel Spice Rub. Cover and toss well to combine.
• Heat a very large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the carrots and cook for about 1 minute, then add the onions and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until the vegetables are nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat if needed to keep them from burning.
• Add the fennel bulb, zucchini, additional Fennel Spice Rub or crushed fennel seed, and salt, to taste. Toss well to distribute the seasonings. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and toss again. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the vegetables are deeply caramelized, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring them occasionally so they cook evenly. Serve immediately.
• Put the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium heat. Watch carefully, tossing frequently so the seeds toast evenly. When light brown and fragrant, pour the seeds onto a plate to cool. They must be cool before grinding, or they will gum up the blades.
• Pour the seeds into a blender and add the salt. Blend to a fine powder, shaking the blender occasionally to redistribute the seeds. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

THREE-BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• In an ungreased 3-qt. baking dish, combine all ingredients. Cover and bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf.

BEAN CASSOULET WITH FENNEL SPICED CHICKEN AND ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• For the Fennel-spiced rub: Put the fennel, coriander, and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium heat. Toss frequently so the seeds toast evenly. When light brown, remove and cool. Grind seeds with salt to a fine powder. Store in a tightly sealed jar or freeze (makes 1 1/4 cups). For the cassoulet: Trim the Brussel sprouts and halve lengthwise. Cook in boiling salted water in a cast iron casserole for 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Peel the onion, cut through the stem into 6 equal wedges. Heat 1/4 cup oil in casserole dish. When hot but not smoking, add onions. Halve the parsnips lengthwise and into bite-size wedges, add to the onions. Cut carrots and celery in the same manner and add to the vegetables. Cook until lightly browned on all sides. Add sprouts to the dish. Season with salt, to taste. Cook until all the vegetables are well browned, about 10 minutes. Remove and season with 2 tablespoons of Fennel Spice Rub to coat. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the chicken into bone-in serving pieces (2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, and 8 half pieces of breast). Heat remaining 1/4 cup of oil in the casserole dish over high heat. Season the chicken with the Fennel Spice Rub. When the oil is hot add chicken skin side down. Cook until dark brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from dish. Tilt the pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and pancetta, and cook until golden. Add beans in liquid to the pancetta. Bring to a simmer. Add reserved vegetables and chicken, skin side up. Roast, uncovered, until the chicken is fully cooked and the surface is nicely browned, 25 to 30 minutes.