Cassoulet with Duck Confit

Cook Time 3 hours + overnight

Servings 6

Ingredients

250g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight
1 L chicken stock
2 carrots, peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, pricked with 3 cloves
1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme and bay leaf)
200g piece smoked speck
1 tbsp. tomato paste
4 legs of duck confit
4 Toulouse (or any good garlicky sausages)
400g slice of pork belly, skin scored
2 tomatoes, quartered  
½ cup breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper

Method

Rinse the beans and place into a large pot with the stock, onion, carrots, garlic, bouquet garni and water to finish covering the beans by 5 cm. Bring to the boil, and then reduce heat and cook covered for about 1- 1½ hours. Add the speck and tomato paste 45 minutes into this cooking process and season lightly with salt and pepper.

In the meantime prepare the meats. Pre heat the oven to 200°C.

Cook the well seasoned pork belly for 35 minutes before turning the oven down to 160°C. Now add the duck confit and sausages to the tray and cook for a further 30 minutes. Halfway through this cooking stage, add the fresh tomatoes to the tray to caramelise.

Drain the excess fat once cooked and then cut the meats into bite size pieces, leaving the duck legs whole.

In an oven-proof large casserole pot, pour a first layer of beans, then arrange the meats, apart from the duck. Add another layer of the bean mixture and arrange the duck legs on the top.

Spread breadcrumbs over the cassoulet and cover with a tight lid and bake at 180°C for another 25 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes to get extra crispy and golden brown.