An authentic cassoulet from Languedoc takes an almost ridiculous amount of time to
prepare - for something that then turns out to be ‘rustic’ in both appearance and flavour. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy it, because I do, but you can combine things other than goose, duck, lamb and pork with beans to make a decent supper too.

For the sake of time saving and sanity I would say that canned beans, or the superb jarred Monjardin beans, combined with tinned tomatoes, Riverford sausages and bacon, and some choice fresh herbs, will make a perfectly good alternative. It is almost as filling as the real thing so I would suggest modest portions to be served with a simple green salad.

Ingredients - serves 4

8 Riverford 'French country' sausages, cut into large chunks
100g bacon cut into lardons (usually available at the Riverford meat counter, ready prepared)
1 onion, peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled & finely chopped
2 x 410 g cans of Essential cannellini beans, drained
250ml vegetable bouillon
4 tbsp olive oil
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp paprika
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 sprig of fresh thyme
150g fresh white breadcrumbs
salt & pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Heat 1-2 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and add the sausage pieces, bacon and thyme to it, fry until browned and almost cooked through, remove and transfer to an ovenproof dish or casserole.

Add a little more of the oil to the pan and add the onion, garlic and tomatoes together with the bay leaf and paprika and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened and thickened, then stir in the vegetable bouillon and the beans and cook for a further 10 minutes at a very gentle heat. Pour them over the sausages and bacon and stir together gently. Season with salt and - more especially - pepper. Do a taste check then stir in the parsley.

Now put what’s left of the olive oil into a clean frying pan and cook the breadcrumbs until golden - stir as you do this so they don’t burn. Mix some of the crumbs into the cassoulet mixture and cover the surface with the rest. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the crust of the cassoulet is crisp and golden. Serve piping hot with salad.