We have about seven weeks left of Autumn before we have to throw our hands up in despair and admit defeat to winter’s clutches. I fully intend on making the most of some of Autumn’s delightful fare while I can!
When you come home and your driveway looks like this, autumnal cooking quickly seems like the best laid plan for an afternoon. And so it was today (alongside making Halloween costumes) that I made a really awesome homemade soup from a stellar book I have called The Big Book of Soups and Stews.
For those wondering, a cassoulet is a slow-cooked bean stew or casserole that originated in the south of France. As with this one, typical ingredients are meat of some kind and white beans.
Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1 pound kielbasa sausage, cut into 3/8 inch slices
- 3 leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (1/2 tsp dried would work too)
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
- a few dashes tabasco sauce
- 2 cans (or the equivalent dried, soaked and cooked beans as I did) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 package (10 oz) frozen baby lima beans, rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a dutch oven over medium heat, warm oil.
- Add whole Italian sausage and brown for 15 mins, turning occasionally.
- Add Kielbasa and brown both sausages about 10 mins longer.
- Transfer to a plate and slice Italian sausage into half inch thick rounds.
- Add leeks and garlic to same pan and saute til soft, about 5 mins.
- Add apple, rosemary, sage, and bay leaf.
- Stir in tomatoes, Tabasco sauce, beans, stock, and tomato paste. Season with pepper.
- Bake, covered, about 1 hour. Remove lid and stir in parsley. Bake, uncovered, 15 mins longer. Remove bay leaf and discard.
- Serve with crusty bread or your preferred kind (I chose wholewheat bread n butter) and if you’re anything like me then a nice glass of red wine to boot.
Now before I say bye, a couple of things. First, thanks so much to all of you for your comments on my leg/running situation. You seriously made me feel ten times better about everything! I’ll update you soon on the dealio with that since I’m sure you’re itching to know.
Second, you people feel strongly about your oatmeal! Thanks for all the awesome comments with your favourite combos – I’ll be debuting a few and posting about them shortly! Yeah, that’s going to be an oatmeal-centric post.
Third, I would like to introduce the newest members of my family:
This is 8 week old Jamal…
…and his brother, Juan.
Sigh.
