Traditional cassoulet

Ingredients

• 600 g of navy beans
• Several portions of pork lard or fat from another animal (duck, goose, or goose – preferably)
• 1 duck leg (or goose leg) confit per person
• One small sausage per person
• 1 Toulouse sausage per person (or one sausage)
• 1 or 2-3 onions, or 2-3 Allium ascalonicum
• 2 medium-sized carrots
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• Chopped parsley
• A bay leaf
• thyme and rosemary
• crumbled bread
• Duck fat (or lamb fat; you can use duck or lamb fat from canned or confit, but if unavailable, you can substitute with olive oil)
• salt
• pepper

Wash the peas and soak them in cold water with a pinch of cumin for several hours.

While this is happening, heat some duck fat in a pan over high heat, adding the confit duck and sausages until they are nicely browned.

Once cooked, remove them from the heat and set them aside.

Gently incorporate the chopped onion back into the remaining fat.

Place the beans in a pot and cover them with water, using a volume of water that is five or six times the volume of the beans.

Add the carrots, garlic, and bacon.

After an hour, add the duck, sausages, and herb mixture, and continue to cook for another hour.

You can also add a little of the remaining fat to enrich the meat, although this and the bacon are optional (depending on the desired consistency).

It is also possible to add a little tomato sauce to enhance the flavor and texture.

Once the meat is fully cooked, remove the bacon and herbs, then add the remaining ingredients (the carrots and sliced sausage) to the earthenware pot.

Reserve some of the cooking juices and sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and parsley.

Cook over low heat (approximately 150 °C) for at least an hour, until the fat, juices, and breadcrumbs form a crispy crust.

If necessary, add a little bean broth occasionally to prevent it from drying out.