Ingredients
1 lb. dried cannellini beans
8 c. water
2 tbsp. kosher salt
8 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 large carrot, cut into 2" pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 2" pieces
6 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
8 oz. pork belly
4 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
12 oz. garlic sausage
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minces
2 tbsp. tomato paste
Preparation
Step 1In a large bowl, cover beans with water and stir in salt. Add more water if needed to ensure beans are covered by at least 2” of water. Let soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse beans. Step 2In a large pot over high heat, add beans, broth, carrot, celery, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beans are just tender with a slight bite remaining, 45 minutes to an hour. Drain beans into a colander set over a large bowl, reserving liquid to use again. Discard veggies and herbs. Return beans to pot. Step 3Adjust oven rack to lower position, and preheat oven to 325°. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook pork belly until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from Dutch oven with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Leave fat in Dutch oven.Step 4Pat chicken dry with paper towels, and season chicken lightly with salt and pepper all over. Cook chicken in rendered pork belly fat until skin is golden, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from Dutch oven and transfer to plate with pork belly. Cook sausage in same Dutch oven until golden, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate with pork belly and chicken. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from Dutch oven. Step 5Return Dutch oven to medium heat, and cook onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add tomato paste and cook until darkened, about 1 minute. Step 6Transfer onion mixture and pork belly to pot with beans and stir to combine. Scoop out half of the beans and place into Dutch oven. Layer sausages on top, then scoop out other half of beans over sausage. Nestle chicken into beans. Step 7Pour reserved cooking liquid over beans until everything is just covered. Step 8Transfer Dutch oven to oven, and bake for 30 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to gently break the crust that forms on top, letting liquid rise to the top. Repeat 3 more times every 30 minutes, breaking the crust a total of 4 times. Then let cassoulet bake for 1 hour more, for a total of 3 hours, to develop a thick and deeply golden crust on top. If beans start to look dry, add more water or broth as needed to cover by pouring down the side of the Dutch oven. Step 9Serve while still hot.
Put this at the top of your winter comfort dishes to make!
