Campside Cassoulet For A Crowd

Ingredients

• 4 cans white (cannellini) beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• duck confit (brought from home)
• 1 can refried beans (optional, but very useful if making this in a big rush!)
• jointed chicken (can be frozen to kept camping supplies cold)
• 6 or 8 good sausages (not too spicy, not chorizo)
• 200g streaky bacon chopped
• 500gms lamb or mutton cut smallish (include if you have time to let the dish cook slowly)
• 2 cans tomatoes
• 8 cloves garlic
• thyme
• wine (1/3 bottle)
• about 8 slices bread
• salt and pepper

Comments

Use a big iron dutch oven or similar.

Method

Brown floured lamb in bacon fat, add onion and brown lightly and cook until onions are soft and honey brown. Add the chicken cut into small bits if using chicken. Add beans, tomatoes, thyme, wine, sausage, cut into slices.

Simmer for 2 or 3 hours. The beans should break up a little.

If you are in a rush, the refried beans will serve for broken down beans, and will thicken the dish. You'll need to constantly check it doesn't catch and keep the liquid levels just right.

If you have brought duck confit from home, then add it about 35 minutes before serving. Add it near the top and cover with breadcrumbs. (Remember you are camping so someone can break up the crumbs by hand.)

Cover the cassoulet with beadcrumbs and if you are using an open fire cover the big camp oven with a baking sheet and shovel hot embers on top. This will brown the crumbs.

Break the crust into the beans mixture.

Serve with good bread that you picked up from the "gourmet" country store nearby.