iNwine Weekend Recipe: B.C. Wine Lover's Cookbook Cassoulet & Chardonnay
These chilly winter days call for a big bowl of yummy cassoulet. This easy version comes from my B.C. Wine Lover’s Cookbook and was shared by the Bibby family of Nighthawk Vineyards. I also created a video and interview for the British Columbia Wine Institute (click on image below to watch). Enjoy!
Nighthawk Cassoulet
Serves 6–8
2 cups (1 lb) dry white beans (or canned)
2 Tbsp duck fat or peanut oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Sea salt and pepper
4 oz pork belly, diced
2 medium onions, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine (like Nighthawk Chardonnay)
4 oz chorizo sausage, diced
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp chopped lemon thyme or regular thyme leaves
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
Note: This cassoulet can also be made as a vegetarian dish. Swap the chicken for two roasted poblano chili peppers, leave out the pork belly and chorizo, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and add 2 Tbsp julienned sun-dried tomatoes along with the garlic.
(If using dry beans) cover the beans with water and soak overnight.
In a sauté pan over high heat, heat the duck fat and sear both sides of the chicken thighs, about 2 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the pan and put it in a large slow cooker.
Using the same pan, sauté the pork belly until golden brown. Add the onions, carrots and celery, cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook for another minute, then deglaze the pan with the white wine and transfer the contents to the slow cooker.
Drain the white beans and add to the slow cooker along with the chorizo, chicken stock, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Cook on the high setting for 6 hours, or until the beans are tender.
Remove the chicken from the bones, shred the meat and add it back into the cassoulet.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pair with: Nighthawk Vineyards Chardonnay. Aged for eight months in French oak, this delicate wine features aromatic elegance and mineral complexity distinctive to this high-altitude vineyard. It is silky and smooth on the mid palate, with a crisp, long finish.
The B.C. Wine Lover's Cookbook available at your local bookstores or click here.
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