TASTE
TASTE
An updated cassoulet with a veggie spin
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By Jill Wendholt Silva
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
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A classic French cassoulet is a stew of silky white beans simmered with aromatic vegetables and delicious high-fat meats, including roasted pork loin, braised lamb and homemade sausages.
In "The French Chef Cookbook," Julia Child admits "a good cassoulet is a fairly long process. You can prepare it in one day, but two or even three days of leisurely on-and-off cooking make it easier."
But the PBS cooking show that catapulted Child to fame ran in the 1960s. Today few Americans have that kind of leisure time.
This bean and vegetable cassoulet with brown rice still takes a day to make: There is no substitute for cooking beans at a low temperature for many hours to bring out complex flavors. But our updated classic simmers in a slow cooker instead of an oven.
And we gave the recipe a vegetarian spin, which means you're consuming fewer calories and less fat and sodium. The addition of brown rice isn't traditional, but it certainly pumps up the fiber content.
Low-sodium/vegetarian option: If you can find it in your supermarket, Kitchen Basics Original Vegetable Stock has only 330 milligrams per 1-cup serving — which makes it even lower in sodium than Swanson's Natural Goodness Low-Sodium Chicken broth (570 milligrams).
We ran the nutritional analysis for this recipe using vegetable stock.
Substitution tip: If desired, use 1 cup Great Northern or baby lima beans instead of a combination of the two.
BEAN AND VEGETABLE CASSOULET WITH BROWN RICE
Rinse beans and sort to remove any tiny pebbles or shriveled beans. Place both types of dry beans in a deep bowl and cover with 3 cups cold water. Allow to stand over night.
Drain beans and place in a medium to large (4- to 5-quart) slow cooker. Add red pepper, onion, zucchini, garlic, pepper, broth and wine. Cover and cook on the low setting 6 to 8 hours or until beans are tender.
Stir in uncooked brown rice, tomatoes and tarragon. Cover and cook on the high setting 1 to 2 hours or until rice is tender. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
