Cassoulet-Style Bean Stew

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 170° C / 150° Fan / Gas 3

Step 2

Put the fat in a large casserole dish (it will need a lid later) and place over medium heat on top of the stove.Add the pancetta or bacon and cook briskly until the fat runs and the meat is turning crispy. Remove to a plate, leaving the fat behind.Put the sausages in the pan and brown all over. Remove and put aside with the pancetta or bacon.

Step 3

Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the prepared onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pan and season with pepper and a pinch of salt.Cook, stirring often and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the vegetables are starting to soften and brown (10-15 min)

Step 4

Stir in the herbs, bay leaves, cloves if using, tomato puree, and drained beans.Stir in the browned pancetta or bacon plus the sausages.Nestle the duck legs among the rest of the ingredients.Pour over 750ml of the stock or enough to almost cover the meat and vegetables (you can add up to 1000ml if you prefer a soupier rather than stew-like cassoulet) and season with more pepper and a little salt. Stir lightly just to make sure nothing's sticking to the bottom of the pot.Put the lid on the casserole dish, bring up to a boil then take off the heat.

Step 5

Transfer the dish to the preheated oven and cook for 45 minutes.Remove the lid and cook for a further 15 minutes.* For a soup-like cassoulet: add more stock if liked and/or cook with a lid on for the final 15 minutes.* For a thicker cassoulet: cook longer than 15 minutes and/or increase the temperature to 200° C / 180° Fan / Gas 6.Check the seasoning again and serve either on its own, with green vegetables or salad, plus potatoes or bread if liked.Can be chilled and stored in the fridge for 2-3 days or frozen.