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By now you may be doubting the authenticity of the recipes on this blog. Last week, I posted an Irish Stew recipe that didn’t include lamb and now I’m posting a Cassoulet recipe that doesn’t include duck. In the past, I have made this the more traditional way (using the recipe from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook) with duck confit, tarbais beans, and pork belly. It was outstanding and I will likely make it again. That being said, I was specifically looking for a slow-cooker recipe to make on Christmas Eve. This was part of a perfect Christmas Eve – get the dish ready in the morning, get the kitchen clean, spend the day with the family, head to church in the evening, and come home to a delicious-smelling house and a hearty meal.
Merry Christmas to all, and to a good night.
Recipe adapted from Thomas Keller
- 3 – 4 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 3 cans small white beans, drained
- 4 oz bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
- 3 medium yellow onions, diced
- 2 cups dry white wine
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 28-oz can peeled plum tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 – 1.5 lbs Spanish chorizo, sliced on the bias
- 1 head garlic, halved through the equator
- 4 Tb minced parsley
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
For this recipe, you either need a slow cooker with a stovetop-safe insert OR you need to perform the first few steps in a large pot and then transfer the ingredients to a slow cooker. If you’re not sure, use a pot – I know someone who ruined her slow-cooker by making this mistake. Season the pork generously with kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper. Cook the bacon (in the slow-cooker insert or a large pot) on the stovetop over medium-high heat until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel, but leave the fat in the pot. Working in batches, brown the pork on all sides in the bacon fat, about 7 – 9 minutes per batch. When the pork has been browned, transfer to a platter.
Add the onions plus 1 tsp of kosher salt, scraping all of the fond from the bottom of the insert or pot.
A note about browning your meat before braising or slow-cooking. This step has nothing to do with “sealing in the juices” or anything like that; it’s all about flavor. This step provides a deep, roasty flavor to dishes like this one. When you’re done with the browning step, the bottom of your pot will be coated in a thick, dark fond. As soon as you add the onions and stir them for a minute, that fond will release and combine with the onions. That’s when the magic happens. So please, don’t skip this step.
Cook for about 7 minutes, then add the wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the wine is reduced by half – about 8 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in tomato paste and stock. Stir until well combined. At this point, either scrape the mixture into the slow cooker or – if you’ve been working with a stovetop-safe insert, add to it the pork, bacon, beans, chorizo, and garlic.
Cover and cook on low for about 9 hours, until pork is fork-tender. At that point, turn off the heat, skim off the fat, fold in the panko and parsley, and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Serve with crusty bread.
Julio's Delicatessen 