Cowboy Cassoulet (Lamb & White Bean Stew)

FryBoy

New member
I don't remember why this hearty dish is called Cowboy Cassoulet, although I think it had something to do with Montana. However, I do recall that it's excellent. I've clarified and simplified the directions.

COWBOY CASSOULET
Los Angeles Times
March 1, 2006

Preparation time: ½ hour
Cooking time: 4 hours
Servings: 6 to 8

3 pounds lamb shoulder blade chops
Salt
8 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 pounds fennel (3 small or 2 medium)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 cup white wine
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 pound Great Northern white beans or navy beans
Freshly ground black pepper
Small loaf French bread (enough for 1¾ cups crumbs)
8 fresh sage leaves

1. Remove small bones and excess fat from meat; cut into serving pieces; lightly salt meat.

2. Remove tops from fennel and trim bottoms; cut lengthwise (top to bottom) into quarters.

3. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat; add half the meat and brown well; remove to bowl; repeat with remaining meat.

4. Reduce heat to medium-low, add carrot and cook without stirring until lightly browned on one side, 2 to 5 minutes; stir and cook 3 to 5 minutes more.

5. Add onion and cook until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.

6. Add wine, bring to boil, and cook until it is reduced to a thick syrup, 7 to 10 minutes.

7. Add crushed tomatoes and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

8. Add 5 cups water, beans, fennel, and garlic; stir gently; add lamb and press gently into liquid. (Note: Dried beans vary; more water may be needed during cooking.)

9. Cover pot with tight-fitting lid; place in preheated 325 degree oven.

10. After 1 hour, add ½ tablespoon salt and a generous grinding of black pepper; stir gently to avoid breaking up the fennel or crushing the garlic.

11. Check after 1½ hours (2½ hours total); if needed, add up to 1 cup water and stir gently.

12. After 1 hour (3½ hours total), remove from oven; increase heat to 400 degrees.

13. Remove crust from bread, cut into cubes, and place in food processor with sage; process to form crumbs; spread mixture evenly over top of cassoulet; lightly drizzle with olive oil.

14. Return uncovered pot to 400 degree oven to brown crumbs, about 20 minutes.

15. Serve immediately.

Each of 8 servings: 569 calories; 37 grams protein; 50 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams fiber; 23 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 84 mg. cholesterol; 197 mg. sodium.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Lamb shoulder blade chops are pretty easy to get around here. How easy is it to get the bones out? They pop right out?

Thanks!
 

FryBoy

New member
Lamb shoulder blade chops are pretty easy to get around here. How easy is it to get the bones out? They pop right out?

Thanks!
Cook it with the bones in -- they add a lot of flavor, and the meat will fall off the bones when you eat it.
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Okay, I am going to make this, but I can't stand fennel.

I've never had kolrabi, but it sorta LOOKS like the bulb end of fennel. I bet I'd like it.

What do you think about subbing kolrabi for fennel in this dish?

Lee
 
Okay, I am going to make this, but I can't stand fennel.

I've never had kolrabi, but it sorta LOOKS like the bulb end of fennel. I bet I'd like it.

What do you think about subbing kolrabi for fennel in this dish?

Lee

Well, you could try it - but TOTALLY different taste & texture, regardless of "appearance".

While fennel tends to be "onion textured" & strongly anise-flavored, kohlrabi has the texture & flavor of a mild turnip. It's like comparing apples & oranges.
 

FryBoy

New member
I agree with Breezy. Fennel is quite mild when cooked, but if you really don't like it, just leave it out. You might consider adding some large slices of a sweet onion or celery instead of the fennel for texture and appearance.
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
You might also consider this:

Lamb with White Bean Ragout

Oh, as a matter of fact, I DID make that, Doug! It was great! I'm sorry that I didn't post about it or take photos when I did.

As for the cassoulet, I like the idea of onions. How about celery ROOT???

LOL! I guess the answer would be "just put in what you like", huh?

Lee
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
I don't know how I missed this before, but I'm drooling now. All my favorite things in a stew. (Except fennel. I don't think I've ever had fennel so I don't know if it's a favorite.....yet!) Thanks Doug!
 

FryBoy

New member
Fennel is worth discovering, believe me. It's good both raw and cooked. It does have a licorice taste, and the taste is stronger raw. Try it, you'll like it!

Here's a blurb from Cook's Thesaurus:

Fennel tastes like licorice or anise, and it's commonly used in Italian dishes. It's very versatile; you can sauté it and add it to sauces, braise it as a side dish, or serve it raw as a crudité. Substitutes (for fennel bulb): Belgian endive + 1 teaspoon crushed fennel or anise seed OR celery + 1 teaspoon crushed fennel or anise seed (celery takes less time to cook) OR celery + chopped onion + crushed fennel or anise seed (celery takes less time to cook) OR celery + Pernod, Ricard, or anisette (celery takes less time to cook) OR udo OR celery (celery takes less time to cook) .

And an article from NPR:

Don't Forget the Fennel

If you've never cooked with fennel, you're not alone. For years, I avoided the bulbous green and white vegetable labeled "sweet anise" because I associated it with black licorice. Who in their right mind would want to taste black licorice at the dinner table?

But then I learned anise and "sweet anise" are two very different things. Anise is a pungent pint-sized herb, while "sweet anise" — or fennel — is a hearty vegetable with a thick, bulbous base and celery-like stems that grow upward to 5 feet tall. It has a sweeter, more delicate flavor than anise.

Fennel's subtle flavor works just fine on its own, but does wonders when combined with other foods. Indeed, fennel's strength may be its power to blend and enhance other flavors. Tuna tastes more tuna-like when cooked with fennel. A simple salad of oranges, red onion and lemon vinaigrette has more zing with the addition of crunchy, raw fennel. Grilled sea bass becomes emblematic of Mediterranean cuisine when stuffed with lemon slices and fennel fronds.

The fennel in the produce section of a grocery store is Florence fennel, or finocchio. On top are fragrant emerald fronds that look much like dill. Below are stout stalks that resemble celery and shoot upward like fingers being counted. The edible white "bulb" is actually not a bulb at all, but tightly stacked leaves that unpack like the base of a celery stalk.

Though all parts of the Florence fennel are edible, the stalks tend to be fibrous, like celery, while the fronds can have an anise intensity that might turn off some people. The thick white leaves of the base offer the most versatile use. When cooked, the leaves become supple, the same way onions lose their firmness, and retain only a faint hint of anise.

If you have never tried fennel as a vegetable, you've almost certainly tasted it in its other form: a spice. The greenish-brown seeds from the variety called common fennel are used to season Italian sausages, meaty stews and rustic breads. When ground up, the spice is used in rubs for fish, pork and lamb dishes and in other spice mixes. Fennel spice also is a key ingredient in Indian curries and is one of the five essential spices in Chinese five-spice powder.

And if all this isn't enough, this versatile vegetable has been used throughout history to cure stomach ailments, freshen breath and help fight weight gain. It also is high in vitamin C.

So if, like me, you've passed fennel by in the produce section, take a second look.

FUN FENNEL FACTS:

Fennel has played a supporting role in history (much like its supporting role in recipes). According to Greek mythology, Prometheus smuggled fire to humans inside the hollow wand of a fennel stalk.

Roman writer and scientist Pliny the Elder believed in its medicinal properties, and had at least 22 remedies linked to it.

Charlemagne made fennel an essential vegetable in every imperial garden.

In medieval times, fennel was used to protect against witchcraft and evil spirits.

Puritans chewed fennel seeds during worship services, and to help stave off hunger during fasts.


fennel500.jpg
 
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I'm not a big fan of raw fennel, but do enjoy it braised. In fact, one of my favorite dishes to accompany a nice grilled steak is fennel braised until tender in some chicken broth, then topped with warmed (in the microwave) blue cheese dressing.
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Okay, I made this last night, without the fennel. The dish was way too bland.

It makes a ton and is very filling, so I'm considering what to add to the leftovers. Thinking roasted chiles, or Rotel, or barbecue sauce ... not sure.

I strongly suggest that you use the fennel, as Doug posted it, if you like that veg!

Lee
 

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