Saturday was sort of a “down” day–the chores done by mid-day; the shopping finished early for a change. There was even time for a quick nap. Intrigued by a recipe for a pork and white bean French casserole in the latest Cook’s Illustrated magazine, I began a four hour labor of love. I had sort of planned on this by buying the beans on Friday afternoon and soaking them for 24 hours in a brine solution. The recipe cooked for about three and a half hours, with iterations of covering and uncovering necessary to produce a perfectly browned crust atop the bean/pork
Nothing Like a Slowly Cooked Cassoulet to Provide a Great Smell in the Kitchen
/sausage/tomato mixture. The heavy enamel on iron pan was the perfect vessel. With the timer to remind me, everything went swimmingly well. The dish was perfect. On a gray cold winter’s evening, it was just perfect, and a reminder that sometime, taking a lot of time to cook something really pays off with great taste and a desire to make it again. We stored the leftovers and reheated last night after a late concert. Like many slow-cooked recipes this one tasted just as good as a leftover. That was an added treat.
