Slow-Baked Cassoulet with Pork-Rind Bean Stock and Garlic-Parsley Crust

Method

1. Rinse the beans and soak them in three times their volume of cold water for 12 h; overnight is perfect.

   Add in this stepDried white beans (cannellini, lingot or tarbais) 170 g

2. Blanch the pork rind in boiling water for 2 minutes, rinse under cold water, then roll it up and tie with string. Drain the soaked beans and put them in a 20 cm pot with the onion studded with the cloves, the whole carrot, a bundle of thyme, bay and parsley stalks tied together, and the rind. Pour in stock to cover by 3 cm. Bring up over high heat, skim off the foam, then turn down to low heat and simmer for 55 min, until the beans are tender but still hold their shape; season with salt at the end. Keep it at the barest simmer so the skins don't burst.

   Add in this stepPork rind (from the butcher) 60 gOnion 1Whole cloves 2Carrot 1Thyme sprigs 3Bay leaves 1Flat-leaf parsley 3 gLow-salt chicken stock 750 mlSalt to taste

   high heat→low heat

3. While the beans cook, cut the pork shoulder into 4 cm pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat some of the duck fat in a 22 cm ovenproof cast-iron casserole over medium-high heat and brown the pork for 12 min, until deep brown on all sides. If the pot is crowded, work in two batches so the meat sears rather than stews.

   Add in this stepPork shoulder (or neck) 160 gDuck fat ¾ tbsp

   medium-high heat

4. Add most of the garlic, crushed, plus the peeled and chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste, then pour in a ladle of bean liquid and scrape the bottom. Cover and cook over low heat for 45 min, until the pork pulls apart easily with a fork.

   Add in this stepGarlic cloves 3Ripe tomatoes 1Tomato paste 2 tsp

   low heat

5. In another pan, heat some of the duck fat over medium heat and cook the sausages and confit duck legs for 9 min: brown the sausages all over and crisp the confit skin side first. Cut each sausage into three.

   Add in this stepToulouse sausages (or coarse fresh pork sausages) 2Confit duck legs (ready-made) 1Duck fat 0.6 tbsp

   medium heat

6. Rub the inside of a deep 1.5 L earthenware dish (cassole) or cast-iron pot with a halved garlic clove. Lift the herb bundle, onion and carrot out of the beans; untie the rind, cut it into thin strips and lay them over the bottom of the dish. Layer half the beans, the pork and its sauce, the sausages and confit, then the remaining beans. Grind over pepper and add bean liquid until the beans are just covered. Keep the rest of the liquid aside.

   Add in this stepGarlic cloves ½Black pepper to taste

7. Preheat the oven to 150 °C, put the dish in uncovered and bake for 2 h 30 min. Every 45 minutes, push the brown crust that forms down into the beans with a spoon, adding a little of the reserved bean liquid whenever it looks dry. Tradition says the more times the crust is broken, the deeper the flavour.

   oven

8. Mix the breadcrumbs with the chopped parsley leaves, minced garlic, melted duck fat and a little salt, scatter evenly over the top and return to the oven for 20 min, until the crust is golden. Let it rest for 15 minutes and serve from the dish.

   Add in this stepFresh breadcrumbs (from day-old bread) 20 gFlat-leaf parsley 7 gGarlic cloves 1½Duck fat 0.6 tbspSalt to taste

   oven