Cassoulet -- My Way

Today is cloudy, cool, and rainy!  A perfect day for some comfort food.  I had some big fat chicken legs in the fridge and some canned great northern beans, so cassoulet!  This is a much simpler method for making cassoulet. So here goes.  Oh, one other thing, I have fresh herbs growing in pots on my patio and you definitely need fresh herbs for this recipe.  Actually it's not so much a recipe as a process.  Let's get cooking!

First brown the chicken legs in a skillet.  I have recently been using coconut oil for cooking and baking.  (No, it does not taste like coconut--its just healthy clean pure oil.)

While the chicken legs are browning, chop up some onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.  I used half a large white onion, two stalks of celery, two large carrots, and two cloves of garlic.

Other stuff you will need...

Take the chicken legs out and place them on a plate.  Add the chopped onion, celery, carrots, and garlic.  Saute for a minute or so until fragrant, add salt and pepper.   Chop some fresh rosemary and thyme--about a tablespoon of each.  Add to the vegetables.

Next pour in a can of chicken broth and a can of tomatoes.  I used San Marzano tomatoes that I canned last summer.

Place the chicken legs on top of everything, cover, and place in a 350 degree oven.  Bake for about one hour.

Drain and rinse two cans of great northern beans, or navy beans, or canellini beans, pour over the chicken.  Add more chicken stock at this point if it looks too dry.  Sorry, this photo is sideways!!

Back into the oven for another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, 3 tablespoons of butter, and some chopped flat leaf parsley -- about 3 tablespoons.  Mix the parsley into one cup of bread crumbs.

Remove the dutch oven and uncover.  Sprinkle the bread crumb parsley mixture over the chicken/bean/veg mixture.  Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs.  Place back in the oven uncovered for another 10 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden brown.

Serve each person a chicken leg (or two) with some of the crispy crumbs, beans, and vegetables.  A slice of buttered bread goes well with this dish.

Enjoy friends!

Chile Verde (Green Chili with Pork)

I do not claim to be an expert on authentic Mexican cuisine.  We first had this Green Chili in a restaurant in New Mexico many years ago.  They served it like a soup/stew with a tortilla on the side to sop up the soupy goodness of the dish.  So this is how I have been making it for years.

We are avid "chili growers" in our small garden--the main purpose being to have chiles to make salsa and chili verde. The classic version features big chunks of pork shoulder, but today I had left over shredded pork shoulder, so that is what I used.

Basic ingredients:  Pork shoulder cooked and cubed or shredded, roasted  anaheim chile peppers, green taco sauce (which includes tomatillos), onion, garlic, and chicken stock/broth.

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The close up of the anaheim chiles, from last summer's garden, which were roasted over hot coals, placed in freezer bags and frozen until time to use them.  This method is really slick because the tough skins of the peppers slide right off after they defrost.

After the peppers are peeled and seeded, chop them up -- or you can use canned green chiles.

Warm some mild olive oil in a dutch oven pan.  Add chopped onion, diced garlic, and the chiles.  Saute until the vegetables are tender.

Sprinkle in about 2 tablespoons of flour and stir to combine--this will be the thickener.

Next pour in chicken stock and stir and cook until it is thickened to your liking.

The cooked, shredded pork is added. 

Mix it all up and season with salt, pepper, cumin, cilantro, and a dash of ground cloves. 

(I repeat, a DASH of ground cloves).

Let the chili verde simmer slowly for up to an hour.  Adjust seasonings and add more chicken stock.

Serve with warm flour tortillas and lots of napkins!

Enjoy friends!