Chicken artichoke cassoulet, oh la la!

This isn’t the most traditional take on a French cassoulet you’ll find, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a go the next time you’ve got a hankering for a delicious, hearty meal.

Chicken and Artichoke Cassoulet 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks
1 cup pearl onions (or diced onion)
12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup dry white wine
3 cups prepared Great Northern beans (or other white beans)
½ cup diced Italian parsley, plus extra for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make the topping, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan and melted butter in a bowl, stirring briefly with a fork until blended. Set aside.

In a Dutch oven or other oven-safe dish (I used my Le Creuset braiser), heat olive oil over moderate heat. Add chicken, garlic and onions and cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked, stirring occasionally. Add broth, wine and beans to the pot. Stir in parsley and let everything simmer for a couple minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

Cover cassoulet evenly with topping before transferring dish from stove (don’t forget to turn off your burner!) to oven. Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until topping is toasty brown. Remove from oven, garnish with remaining parsley and serve.

Would you rather make your own pot of beans for this recipe instead of busting out the can opener? 

White Beans
1 pound dry Great Northern beans, picked through and rinsed
3 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt

Soak beans in water (covered with 1-2 inches of water) in a medium pot for 8-10 hours. Drain beans in a colander. Return beans to pot and cover with 1 inch water. Add garlic, bay leaves and salt and bring pot to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1-2 hours, until beans are tender.

Je t'aime Le Creuset

Out of all the wonderful gifts I received this holiday season, one of my favorites is a lovely Le Creuset Dutch oven.

This is some serious kitchen hardware. We’re talking about 7 ¼ quarts of enameled cast-iron wonder. The sky’s the limit as far as what I can cook in this ocean-colored beauty.

I’ve been scouring my cookbooks and the Internet for recipes, but before I get to braising all kinds of other delicious fun I thought I’d ease into it and get to know the Le Creuset by making a big hearty pot of soup.

Hearty Sausage and Kale Soup
14 ounce lean smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, washed, patted dry and cut into ribbons
9 cups low-sodium chicken broth
28 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 14.5-ounce cans white beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
3 sprigs rosemary and 2 sprigs oregano, tied together with string
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook sausage over medium heat in Dutch oven for a couple minutes, until hot. Remove from pot and place in bowl. Warm olive oil in pot and add garlic, cooking for a minute or two and stirring occasionally, until aromatic.
Add broth, tomatoes, Creole seasoning, minced onions, beans, rosemary and oregano. Cover and let cook for at least 30 minutes.
Stir in kale and sausage. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until kale is soft. Remove rosemary and oregano before serving soup.