QUICK CASSOULET STUFFED BREAD MELTS

Quick Cassoulet Stuffed Bread Melts image

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

1 baguette (day-old is fine)
1/2 pound sausage (choose from andouille, chorizo, Italian bulk hot or sweet, kielbasa)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (twice around the pan)
1 carrot, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (a couple of sprigs)
1 can small white beans or cannellini, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
4 slices deli Swiss cheese or thinly sliced Cheddar, Fontina, Gouda, or Gruyère
A handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 200°F.
Crisp the bread in the low oven, remove, and split lengthwise. Hollow it out and cut each half in half again across, making 4 bread boats. Switch the broiler on and place a rack 8 inches or so from the heat.
If you are using cooked sausage, finely chop it. For raw Italian, cut open a couple of links. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO and the sausage; brown cooked sausage for 2 minutes, and brown and break up raw sausage into small bits, 5 minutes. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the beans and stir to combine. Season the quick cassoulet with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with the wine or stock, scraping up the good bits. Reduce the heat to low and simmer over very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes to combine the flavors. If the mixture sticks at all, add a bit more wine or stock, but do not make the mixture wet. It should be starchy and thick.
Fill the bread boats with the cassoulet. Top with cheese, folding the slices to fit. Melt the cheese under the broiler and garnish each open-face stuffed sandwich with a little parsley. Serve with a fork and knife.