Cassoulet Pie
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
- oil for frying
- 3 chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 large onions, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 4 pork or toulouse style sausages (I couldn't find them so I used truffle and provolone pork sausages), cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 smokey sausage, sliced (eg a kransky)
- 400g/14ozs. tin diced tomatoes
- 600g/21oz. tin haricot or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or white wine
- 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
- 1 sheet butter puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 teaspoons water
Step 1 - Add oil to a large cast iron pot on medium heat. Brown the chicken thigh pieces and then remove from the pan. Add the onions and saute until soft and then add the garlic and saute for a minute. Add the fresh pork sausage and fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the kransky and fry for a minute and then add the chicken thigh pieces back in.
Step 2 - Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaves and thyme and place the lid on and bring to a boil. Simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes and then remove the lid and add the cannellini beans and cook for another 15 minutes until reduced. Note: I like it when the beans turn quite soft and melt into the sauce to make the sauce thick but if you like them to keep their shape like a traditional cassoulet (and no doubt they'd be horrified by my version), add then 7 minutes before finishing. Cool the filling and then place in a oven proof pie dish and sprinkle with most of the chives (I reserve a tablespoon to sprinkle over the baked pastry).
Step 3 - Preheat oven to 225C/437F and cover the pie dish with the sheet of puff pastry and trim edges. Poke a few holes in the pastry. Brush egg yolk over the pastry and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.