Cassoulet Recipe

Recipe:
Place the gammon in a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Skim off any froth that appears on the surface. Turn the heat down to moderate, cover and simmer for around 40 minutes.

Drain, keeping the cooking liquor. Remove the rind and slice it thinly. Then cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Preheat the oven to 150°C.

In a large pan, big enough to house all the ingredients, and over a moderate heat, brown the gammon in the duck fat for a few minutes along with the duck confit and the sausages. Remove to a plate, keeping the fat in the pan.

Add the onions and cook over a moderate heat for around 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Next, add the tomatoes and the bay leaves, cooking for about a minute until sticky and rich, then stir in the beans.

Bury the meat pieces into the bean tomato mix and top up with some of the cooking liquor from the gammon to just cover. Add salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Top with the breadcrumbs and place in the oven for about 45 minutes until the crust is golden and the cassoulet is bubbling. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.