Best Turkey And Butter Bean Cassoulet Recipes

WHOLE-GRAIN BEAN AND TURKEY CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
• Cut a 12-inch square of cheesecloth, lay it flat and place the onion, celery, parsley, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and cloves in the center. Tie opposite corners of the cloth to make a packet; set aside.
• Mix the breadcrumbs and melted butter together in a small bowl until the breadcrumbs are coated with the butter; set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the kielbasa and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. (Take care not to let the kielbasa drippings burn; reduce the heat to medium-low if necessary.) Remove the kielbasa and set aside. Add the broth to the pot and scrape up any browned bits. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add 5 cups water; stir in the farro and 1/2 teaspoon salt and nestle the cheesecloth packet in the liquid. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the farro, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 1 hour (it will just be visible above the liquid). Discard the cheesecloth packet. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, wine, browned kielbasa, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper and bring to a medium boil; cook until much of the liquid has been absorbed and the beans and farro are visible above the liquid, about 10 minutes.
• Carefully transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake until golden brown and bubbling around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

VALERIE'S COMFY CASSOULET

Steps:

• For the cassoulet: Combine the dried beans, 1 tablespoon salt and 8 cups hot water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and cover with a lid. Let sit for 1 hour, until the beans are "al dente" (softened but still with some bite). Drain the beans and rinse under cold water.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the bacon lardons. Slowly render the fat out of the bacon and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
• Increase the heat to medium and add the sausages to the rendered bacon fat. Brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Drain on the baking sheet.
• Season the chicken thighs and drumsticks generously on both sides with salt and pepper. In two batches, add the chicken to the Dutch oven and cook until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Drain on the baking sheet.
• Stir the onions, carrots, fennel and celery into the rendered fat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until softened, 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste; cook for another 2 minutes, until evenly combined with the vegetables and just beginning to toast. Add the diced tomatoes, chicken stock, white beans, parsley, rosemary and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
• Cut the sausages on the bias into thin rounds and add them to the pot along with the bacon, stirring to combine. Transfer the cassoulet to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with the chicken thighs and drumsticks; drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the chicken.
• Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake until the top of the cassoulet turns a rich, deep brown color, the liquid has reduced and the beans have risen to the surface, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
• For the breadcrumb topping: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the breadcrumbs and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toast the breadcrumbs until golden brown, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and parsley.
• To serve: Garnish the cassoulet with the breadcrumb topping and some fennel fronds. Serve immediately!

AD-LIB TURKEY CASSOULET

Steps:

• The day before assembling the cassoulet, season turkey legs generously with salt and pepper, then wrap and refrigerate overnight. Pick over beans and give them a rinse. Soak beans in a large bowl of cold water overnight.
• The next day, drain beans and put them in a large pot. Pour in fresh water to cover beans by 3 inches. Add small onion stuck with cloves and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a simmer. Cook gently for 60 to 90 minutes, until tender. Add 2 teaspoons salt and stir with a wooden spoon to distribute. Let beans cool in the cooking liquid. (Beans may be cooked up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated in their liquid.) Drain beans in a colander set over a bowl. Reserve and use bean broth if you wish.
• Meanwhile, bring turkey legs to room temperature and heat oven to 400 degrees. Put legs in a roasting pan and cook, uncovered, until nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375. Add 3 cups hot broth to pan, then cover tightly and bake for 1 hour, or until meat is very tender. Remove legs from pan and let cool, reserving pan juices. Take off skin and gristle and remove bones (save these for stock), then tear or cut turkey meat into rough wide strips. Set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide, heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and season generously with salt and pepper. Let onions soften and color a bit, stirring, then add cayenne, 1 tablespoon thyme and 3 cloves minced garlic. Add carrots and stir to coat. Add reserved pan juices plus 2 cups hot broth, turn down heat, and simmer until carrots are cooked but still firm, about 10 minutes. Add beans and gently mix with onion and carrot. Add turkey and bacon. Let simmer for 10 minutes more, adding broth as needed to keep beans a bit soupy, but not drowning. Taste broth and beans and adjust seasoning.
• Transfer bean mixture to a low, wide 3-quart baking dish. Arrange garlic sausage evenly over surface, then push down to bury each slice. Put bread crumbs in a small bowl and add olive oil and the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add remaining thyme and garlic, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well with hands.
• Sprinkle crumb mixture over beans in an even layer. Push down on crumbs so they absorb some of the liquid. Carefully add more broth around edges of pan to make sure beans are well moistened. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake uncovered until bread crumbs are crisped and brown, about 30 minutes. Let dish rest for 15 minutes, then serve, making sure everyone gets some crust. (May be prepared 1 or 2 days ahead and refrigerated. To reheat, bring to room temperature, moisten with hot broth and bake as directed above.)

TURKEY AND BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Place beans in medium bowl; add enough water to cover. Let stand overnight to soak.
• Drain beans; discard water. Place beans and all remaining ingredients except tomatoes and salt in 3 1/2 to 4-quart Crocker-Pot® Slow Cooker.
• Cover; cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.
• To serve, remove bay leaves. Stir in tomatoes and salt. Cover; cook on low setting an additional 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

HOW TO MAKE CASSOULET

Steps:

• Soak Great Northern beans in water in a large bowl overnight. Drain beans and place into a large soup pot. Push whole clove into the 1/2 onion and add to beans; stir in garlic, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and 10 cups water. Bring beans to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until beans have started to soften, about 1 hour. Drain beans and reserve the cooking liquid, removing and discarding onion with clove and bay leaf. Transfer beans to a large mixing bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cook bacon in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium heat until lightly browned and still limp, about 5 minutes. Stir celery, carrots, and 1/2 diced onion into bacon; season with salt. Cook and stir vegetables in the hot bacon fat until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat; brown sausage link halves and duck confit in the hot oil until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
• Season vegetable-bacon mixture with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, cracked black pepper, and herbes de Provence; pour in diced tomatoes. Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until juice from tomatoes has nearly evaporated and any browned bits of food on the bottom of pot have dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir mixture into beans.
• Spread half the bean mixture into the heavy Dutch oven and place duck-sausage mixture over the beans; spread remaining beans over meat layer. Pour just enough of the reserved bean liquid into pot to reach barely to the top of the beans, reserving remaining liquid. Bring bean cassoulet to a simmer on stovetop and cover Dutch oven with lid.
• Bake bean cassoulet in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add 4 crushed garlic cloves, panko crumbs, and parsley to the melted butter. Season with salt and black pepper, and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over crumbs. Stir to thoroughly combine.
• Uncover cassoulet and check liquid level; mixture should still have several inches of liquid. If beans seem dry, add more of the reserved bean liquid. Spread half the crumb mixture evenly over the beans and return to oven. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. There should be about 2 or 3 inches of liquid at the bottom of the pot; if mixture seems dry, add more reserved bean mixture. Sprinkle remaining half the bread crumb mixture over cassoulet.
• Turn oven heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake cassoulet, uncovered, until crumb topping is crisp, edges are bubbling, and the bubbles are slow and sticky, 20 to 25 more minutes. Serve beans on individual plates and top each serving with a piece of duck and several sausage pieces.