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Recipe Detail Page
Wild Mushroom Cassoulet
Autumn 2017
This vegetarian spin on the classic from southwest France features garlicky white beans and meaty mushrooms baked under a buttery bread-crumb crust. While this is a labour-intensive dish, the beans, sofrito and mushrooms can all be prepared and cooked off a day or two in advance. The cassoulet can be baked a few hours before dinner, left to cool at room temperature then reheated in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Serves 6
BEANS
2½ cups (625 mL) dried white kidney beans, picked over, rinsed
Cheesecloth and kitchen string
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) lengths
1 small head garlic, halved crosswise
Salt to taste
SOFRITO
2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
½ medium carrot, peeled, finely chopped
1 small leek (white and light green part only), finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped thyme
1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
CASSOULET
8 tsp (40 mL) vegetable oil, divided
8 tsp (40 mL) unsalted butter, divided
2 lbs (1 kg) assorted fresh mushrooms (4 varieties, ½ lb/250 g each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2½ cups (625 mL) vegetable stock, preferably homemade
½ oz (15 g) dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. To make the beans, place kidney beans in bowl and pour in enough water to cover by at least 3 inches (8 cm). Soak at room temperature overnight.
2. To make sachet, cut 8-inch (20-cm) square of double layer cheesecloth. Rinse, squeeze dry, and place on counter. Place bay leaves, thyme and garlic in centre of cheesecloth. Gather ends and tie with kitchen string, trimming excess.
3. Drain and rinse beans. Place in a large pot with sachet and enough water to cover by 3 inches (8 cm). Bring to boil over high heat, skimming and discarding foam. Reduce to vigorous simmer. Cook until beans are soft, 40 minutes to 1 hour. (Add more water if level is getting low.) Remove from heat. Season with salt. Cool in liquid. Discard sachet and its contents.
4. To make the sofrito, heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring, 10 minutes. Add leek. Cook, stirring, until tender, another 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste until evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate to cool.
5. To cook mushrooms, heat 2 tsp (10 mL) oil and 2 tsp (10 mL) butter in a large nonstick frying pan over high heat. Add one-quarter of fresh mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until browned and tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (Add splash of water if pan seems dry.) Transfer to baking tray to cool. Repeat process with remaining mushrooms.
6. In a small saucepan, heat stock until hot. Season lightly with salt. Add porcini and remove from heat. Let stand 20 minutes. Remove porcini, saving broth, and squeeze dry. Rinse porcini in sieve under running water. Squeeze dry, roughly chop and set aside. Carefully decant porcini broth, leaving sediment behind.
7. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
8. To assemble the cassoulet, drain beans and place in a large mixing bowl with sofrito, cooked mushrooms and porcini. Mix. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to a shallow 12-cup (3-L) baking dish or divide among 6 shallow 1½-cup (375-mL) individual baking dishes set on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour in porcini broth, about ⅓ cup (80 mL) per individual dish. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.
9. Remove cassoulet(s) from oven. Uncover. Mix panko, butter and parsley. Sprinkle over cassoulet(s). Bake until top is browned, about 30 minutes. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 6
