Thirty-Minute Cassoulet

Adapted from Fast Food My Way by Jacques Pépin (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004)

(Serves 4-6)

1 tablespoon good olive oil
About 1 pound rolled shoulder ham (also called daisy ham or Boston butt), tough outer skin removed
About 3/4 pound hot Italian sausages, cut into 3-inch pieces (about 6 pieces)
4 bratwurst sausages (about 1 pound)
1 cup diced (1/2-inch) whole button mushrooms (about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup diced (1/2-inch) onion
2 tablespoons crushed garlic (about 4 large cloves)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed under warm running water
3/4 cup diced (1-inch) tomato (1 large plump tomato)
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Tabasco sauce, for serving
Dijon-style mustard, for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and add the ham and Italian sausage.
Cover and cook over high heat for 7 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the bratwurst, mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Mix well, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the beans, tomato, water, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and boil gently for 5 minutes.
At serving time, discard the bay leaf, cut the ham into slices and the sausage pieces in half, and arrange the meat on a platter with the beans. Sprinkle the parsley on top. Serve with Tabasco and mustard.

January & February 2005

Photographer: iStockphoto.com/Serhiy Zavalnyuk

Featured Recipe: Thirty-Minute Cassoulet