Great Northern Bean Cassoulet

Cassoulets originated in the French countryside and were taken to other countries by immigrants. This French Canadian dish is a meal in itself. It is protein rich and filling flavored with cloves, bay leaves, leeks and thyme. It has a long cooking time but that is totally worth it as it allows all the flavors to blend together.

Thick gravies with few spices and a lot of flavor are very popular in my house. We loved the taste of the leeks and the mushrooms. Tomatoes are a favorite and this tomato gravy totally lived up to its expectation. As an added bonus the kitchen smelled great. I topped it with a dollop of vegan cream.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
4 medium carrots
1 medium leek
2 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves

3 springs thyme

2 bay leaves

3-4 cloves

2 cups dry great northern beans

8-10 shitake mushrooms

4 medium tomatoes

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. black pepper

salt to taste

Wash and soak the beans overnight. The next day pressure cook the beans for 10 minutes. When the cooker depressurizes remove the beans and keep aside. Chop the tomatoes and keep aside. Wipe clean the mushrooms, take off the stem and slice.

Wash, peel and dice the carrots. Slice the leek, wash it clean and dice. In a thick bottomed pan heat the olive oil and add the diced vegetables. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the carrots are tender. Meanwhile peel and mince the garlic. Wash the thyme springs. Crush the cloves to a powder in a mortar and pestle. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves and crushed cloves to the carrot mixture.

When the spices are well combined add the beans with a little of the juice it was cooked in. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and mushrooms. Season with paprika, black pepper and salt.

Cook for an hour on medium low heat until all the ingredients are well combined, the tomatoes are mushy and the liquid has cooked down.

Enjoy!