Freezer Cassoulet

I saw two large freezer storage bags in my little freezer filled with the tail ends of Acme Upstairs bread waiting for me to need bread crumbs.  Putting crumbs on top of a cassoulet would be a winter treat and could perhaps use up a lot of leftovers.

I read Paula Wolfert’s The Cooking of Southwestern France, and made confit all those years ago, but instead of making confit, rounding up the cured pork products, perhaps I can use the duck leg in the refrigerator.  There is also the container of garbanzos cooked with a little pork, spinach and a lot of garlic which lost their garlicky kick as they became leftovers.  I don’t usually like anything after its second heating so I have half cup plastic containers of a few things taking up room in my freezer.  I defrosted sausage and tomato sauce which looked a little freezer burnt, mushroom soup with my wonderful meat stock and another container of lentil soup.  Everything I used had been cooked with French and Italian seasonings so I was confident they would blend well.  My only concern was the freezer burn. 

One of Mama’s Pyrex glass casseroles, about 1.5 quart sized held the cassoulet.  I separated the duck leg and thigh and put them in first.  Then I spread around some of the garbanzos, the sausage, the lentils and the mushrooms. I reduced the mushroom broth and added it to cover the mélange. With a lid on the pot I put it into the oven heated to 275 degrees.   

Then I put some of the defrosted bread ends into the Cuisinart and began making crumbs.  After an hour or so the cassoulet was warm and bubbling around the edge. 

I took the cover off, sprinkled the crumbs on the top, raised the temperature of the oven to 325 degrees and let it cook another half an hour until the top was crisp.

Since then, I have cooked some beans (cannellini) and layered them in my small casserole with left over poultry and pork using the same technique with delicious results.

Perhaps cassoulet originated when leftovers accumulated and begged to be transformed.