Comforting Cassoulet
Colder nights require cosier food and you can't beat a good stew to warm you up from the inside out. A cassoulet is just the French word for casserole and although using lamb mince isn't strictly traditional, the red wine and beans bring its flavour right back into the South of France.
The inspiration behind this recipe arose from these beauties that arrived in my veg box recently! They're fresh borlotti beans and they are just fantastic in taste as well as appearance.
This stew is perfect for the weekend as it can be pretty much left to its own devices for an hour while you relax and finish the rest of the bottle of wine. The flavour is very Mediterranean and the relatively few ingredients are allowed to shine, blending together in perfect harmony.
Comforting Cassoulet
Serves 6-8
600g lean lamb mince, formed into meatballs
Olive oil
2 carrots
1 red onion
300ml red wine
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 x 700ml jar of passata
1 x 400g tin of butter beans
250g fresh borlotti beans (or dried ones, soaked and drained)
1/2 bunch of thyme, leaves picked and chopped
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place an ovenproof casserole pan over a medium heat and add a good glug of olive oil (about two tablespoons). Put in the meatballs and keep moving until brown on all sides.
Peel the carrots and slice into chunks and peel the onion and cut into wedges. Add them to the pan along with the paprika and cook for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Pour the wine into the pan and turn up the heat. Keep everything moving and scrap up all the bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Tip the passata into the pan, then half fill the empty jar with water, swirl it around and pour into the pan too.
Drain and add the butter beans and borlotti beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with the lid and place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. When the time's up, add the thyme to the pan and stir in. Put back into the oven for a further 30 minutes.
Serve with bulgar wheat, like me, or with couscous or rice, and scatter over some extra thyme leaves.
The inspiration behind this recipe arose from these beauties that arrived in my veg box recently! They're fresh borlotti beans and they are just fantastic in taste as well as appearance.
This stew is perfect for the weekend as it can be pretty much left to its own devices for an hour while you relax and finish the rest of the bottle of wine. The flavour is very Mediterranean and the relatively few ingredients are allowed to shine, blending together in perfect harmony.
Comforting Cassoulet
Serves 6-8600g lean lamb mince, formed into meatballs
Olive oil
2 carrots
1 red onion
300ml red wine
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 x 700ml jar of passata
1 x 400g tin of butter beans
250g fresh borlotti beans (or dried ones, soaked and drained)
1/2 bunch of thyme, leaves picked and chopped
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place an ovenproof casserole pan over a medium heat and add a good glug of olive oil (about two tablespoons). Put in the meatballs and keep moving until brown on all sides.
Peel the carrots and slice into chunks and peel the onion and cut into wedges. Add them to the pan along with the paprika and cook for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Pour the wine into the pan and turn up the heat. Keep everything moving and scrap up all the bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Tip the passata into the pan, then half fill the empty jar with water, swirl it around and pour into the pan too.
Drain and add the butter beans and borlotti beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with the lid and place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. When the time's up, add the thyme to the pan and stir in. Put back into the oven for a further 30 minutes.
Serve with bulgar wheat, like me, or with couscous or rice, and scatter over some extra thyme leaves.
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