Cassoulets

• 4 8-oz cans of navy beans or cannelloni beans
• 1-lb meat (poultry, ham, sausage etc.)
• 1 16-oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp mined garlic
• 1 8-oz can of chicken stock
• 1-cup bread crumbs
• ½ -cup parmesan cheese
• 2-tbsp Herb de Provence
• salt/pepper to taste

What you will need:  4 8-oz cans of navy beans (white beans) or 4 8-oz cannellini beans rinsed and drained.  Note: if you feel up to it, you can prepare the beans ahead of time; just follow the instructions on the bag.  A pound of mixed meat.  This depends on your preference.  It can be all meat or a combination of meat, poultry and/or sausage.  The meats can be grilled ahead of time, left-overs, or not cooked at all.  Note:  You can use spicy sausages (e.g., hotlinks or spicy Italian sausage) to add a nice bite.  Don’t use ground beef.    Note:  grilling or browning the meats ahead of time, gives it a nice caramelized nutty taste.  Simply grill the meats in a hot oven (400 degrees) for about ½ hour or until nicely browned.   You’ll also need a large 16-oz can of chopped tomatoes, or you can use fresh tomatoes, again depends on your time availability.  Also, you’ll need chopped garlic, about a teaspoon; an 8-oz can of chicken stock, bread crumbs and some cheese.  Add about 2-heaping tablespoons of herb de province (typically equal parts of dried basil, fennel seeds, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage and thyme) and salt and pepper.

In a large Dutch oven, clay pots (e.g., schlemmertopf or romertopf) or a large deep pan that you can over with aluminum foil,  layer the pan alternating with beans the meats, tomatoes, garlic, salt/pepper and herb de province.  When you finish layering, add the liquids.  Using the can of chicken stock, add 1 can of water or your choice of white wine.  Note:  you can adjust the liquid.  If you like your cassoulet more “wet” than add more liquid.  If you like your cassoulet dry, reduce the liquid.  Then top off with about a cup of bread crumbs and cheese (parmesan or other hard cheeses), cover and bake.

Bake in slow oven at 200-degrees for 8-hours, or 250-degrees for 6-hours.  Depends on how long you plan on skiing and how hungry you get when you return home. 

Note:  Some people are uncomfortable leaving their stove on for long periods unattended.  If you are one of them, use a crock-pot, but make sure it’s large enough to accommodate this recipe, or reduce the recipe by half.

The trick is, you can prepare this way in advance and just stick it in the oven before you go skiing.  Serve with nice crusty bread, a nice salad and a hearty red wine.  Note:  Left-overs freeze really well.