last year in november, we spent a lovely 10 days in france with my family, traveling through much of the northern region, meeting up with old friends, and celebrating a 50th birthday party.
i described the trip in detail on my old blog, and a year later, the things that still are fresh in my mind (other than the warm conversations with people i’ve known since childhood) is the deep and rich flavor of cassoulet.
while the menus at the restaurants we went to tempted me to say things like “i’ll have one of each,” i found myself always boiling my choices down between cassoulet and something else. perhaps it was the cold air and on and off rain that made cassoulet win other the “something else” quite frequently.
so here i am, not in france, but very much craving duck and beans, or sausage and lentils, all infused with bacon. i chose a simple version of the recipe, just to ease myself into winter cooking, and couldn’t have been more pleased with the result.
- 4 pieces hickory smoked bacon
- bay leaf
- 1 yellow onion, whole
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup green lentils, dry
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 6 ounces kielbasa or other smoked garlic sausage, cut on a diagonal into thick slices
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- coarsely chopped fresh chives
- salt and pepper to taste
- In a medium sized pot, combine 5 cups water, whole onion, and bay leaf. Add bacon slices so they are submerged. Cover and bring to a boil, checking occasionally, for 45 minutes.
- Transfer bacon to a cutting board and discard onion and bay leaf. Reserve broth in pot. Once bacon has cooled, chop bacon into small pieces.
- Add lentils to pot with reserved broth and add additional water (if necessary) so lentils are covered by ½ an inch of liquid. Cook lentils for about 20 minutes, until tender.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron pan (authentically it should be a cassole, but that's okay). Add chopped onion, carrot, celery, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables soften. Stir in garlic, sage, and thyme and cook for additional 2-3 minutes. Add bacon and lentils and mix well. Top mixture with sliced sausage.
- In a small bowl, melt butter. Soak breadcrumbs in butter for a minute or so, then sprinkle on top of cassoulet.
- Cover dish in tinfoil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25-30, until breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Remove from oven, top with chives and parsley.
recipe adapted from bon appetit.
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