White Bean Cassoulet with Blue Cheese Garlic Bread

When you cannot have a meat cassoulet you can still enjoy that warm rich food with a great cab.

Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked casserole originating in the south of France, usually containing beef, pork or chicken and white beans but in this case we have used Vegan Sausages and Herbies spices to make this dish delicious and quick to create. Best of all you can enjoy it with a beautiful rich Indulge Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ingredients

• Butter (Oil for Vegan version)  ·  2 tablespoons 
• whole Vegetarian/Vegan Sausage, sliced thinly  ·  4 
• Yellow Onion, medium diced  ·  1 
• Herbie's Cloves (ground)  ·  1 teaspoon 
• Celery, diced  ·  3 stalks 
• Carrots, peeled and diced  ·  3 
• Garlic Cloves, finely chopped  ·  2 whole 
• Dry White Wine  ·  1/2 cup 
• Vegetable Stock  ·  2 cups 
• (16oz.) Cooked Cannellini Beans  ·  1 can 
• bunch Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped  ·  1 
• Herbie's Bay Leaves (Turkish)  ·  3 whole 
• Water  ·  2 tablespoons 
• Cornstarch  ·  2 tablespoons 
• Salt, to taste  ·   
• For the Blue Cheese Bread:  ·   
• Sourdough/Baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices  ·  1 
• Blue cheese (for melting)  ·  8 ounces 
• Garlic, finely chopped  ·  4 cloves 

Instructions

Pre heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Melt the butter in a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. . Add the sausages whole and sear on one side for 3 minutes then flip and sear on the other side for an additional 3 minutes. When the sausage is browned on all sides remove from the pan and let them cool on a cutting board.

While keeping the butter in the pot hot over medium heat; begin to add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pot. Season with a pinch of salt and sweat for about 5 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of dry white wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and let the liquid reduce by 3/4 its volume.

Slice the sausages into thick slices on a bias and return them to the pot. Add the vegetable stock and cannellini beans along with Herbie's bay leaves and ground cloves.

Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook slowly for about 25min. If at anytime the cassoulet becomes too dry make sure to add an additional 1/2 cup of vegetable stock or water and continue cooking.

Meanwhile, Heat the other 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saute pan over medium heat. Once the butter melts add that chopped garlic and cook for about 1 minute.

Next, Lay the slices of baguette out on a cookie sheet. Using a brush, brush on the garlic butter on each piece. Top with blue cheese and bake in the oven for 5-10 min. or until the blue cheese is melted just way you like. Remove from the oven and set aside.

After 25 minutes are up check on the cassoulet, fish out the bay leaves and adjust the seasonings; add salt to taste. Combine the corn starch and water in a small bowl. Bring the cassoulet up to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. This should thicken the cassoulet instantly.

Finish by stirring in Herbie's Chives (freeze-dried) and fresh chopped parsley.

Serve with blue cheese garlic bread and enjoy with a glass of Williamson Wines Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jenny's Tip: - This recipe is also great when served with rice and steamed veggies.