Toot Toot

This is such a tasty dish and as a winter meal just perfect. I felt like a French peasant (albeit a pretty well off French peasant) sitting down to a steaming meal of beans and various charcuterie. Prep and cooking time combines to about 2 hours and the recipe serves at least 6 as a main.



Sausage and Bean Casserole
1 large onion diced
3 tablespoons of cooking oil
2 large carrots diced
2 sticks of celery diced
300g/10 OZ lardons (chunks of smoked bacon)
2 Toulose sausages sliced(A small French sausage made of coarsely diced pork flavored with wine, garlic and seasonings)
2 Cabana sausages, sliced (similar to the Toulose but with a stronger smokier flavour)
2 400g cans of Cannellini beans
1 400g can of large red kidney beans
1 400g tin of diced tomatoes
2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 a small can of tomato paste
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 a cup of fresh parsely, chopped
Black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot, add onion, celery, carrots, lardons and sausage. Cook gently for about 20 mins.
Add beans including liquid, tomaotes, tomato paste, chicken stock and garlic and stir gently.
Bring ingredients to a simmer and cook for 1 1/4 hours. Stir regularly to ensure the bottom doesn't stick and burn but be very gentle you do not want to break up either the beans or the sausage.
15 mins before serving taste and season with black pepper and chopped parsely. If the dish is very salty (it depends on the pork products) add a couple of small peeled potatoes cut in half and cook a further 15 mins. Remove the potatoes before serving and discard.
The recipe is based on a traditional French cassoulet which takes about a day to cook and contains endless meat and bean products.
Serve in bowls with hot, crusty buttered bread. C'est bon.