If you've ever made a cassoulet, you'll know that although it is extremely delicious, it's quite an involved dish with multiple steps, overnight soakings, pre-preparations and whatnot and if you do it the traditional way it can take quite some time, though the end results are invariably worth it. At the end of the day though, if you reduce it down to its basic constituents it is a pork and beans dish.
This mini version (cassoulet recipes are normally made in huge quantities) has some quick hacks in it and notwithstanding the unusual substitution of Spam/Luncheon meat for the garlic sausage there are one or two surprising elements and steps in it! I also opted not to use duck confit as this would add a lengthy pre-preparation step, though that would undoubtedly kick it up a level.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1/2 can Spam (garlic flavour if you can find it) or equivalent other-branded luncheon meat
1 skin-on chicken thigh
150g pork belly sliced
30g pancetta sliced
Mirepoix of 1/4 cup each of diced onion, celery, carrot
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/8 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cans baked beans (I use Heinz)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp duck fat melted
1 tsp dried parsley
400ml chicken stock (I used half/half home-made/store-bought)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Olive oil for frying
Method
Preheat your oven to 180c/350f and arrange a rack in the upper third of it.
Season your chicken thigh in a shallow dish, season it with salt and pepper, cover it and par cook it in the microwave until it almost done (in my 800w microwave it took around 4 minutes). Let it cool then shred it with your fingers, keeping the skin. Tip any liquid in with your chicken stock. Note that it will be getting a second cook in the oven later so don't worry that it's a bit underdone.
Empty your two cans of baked beans into a colander and wash them under a running tap to get rid of the tomato sauce they come in. Yep - you read that right. Set them aside to drain. I got this idea from here!
Cut your Spam into little fingers of 3cm or so in length and set aside.
In a bowl, mix your panko breadcrumbs, duck fat and parsley with a spoon until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set it aside.
Take a large high-sided frying pan and in a tablespoon of olive oil, gently fry your pancetta and belly pork over a medium heat until the fat starts to render. Once it does, throw in your mirepoix and saute it for about 5 minutes until the veggies are softened and starting to take on a bit of colour.
Add in your garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
Add in the tomato paste and stir till everything is coated. Cook for another minute then add your white wine. Cook for a minute or so until the wine reduces off till almost nothing. Add the thyme.
Now add in about 300ml of your chicken stock, give everything a good mix and boil it aggressively till it reduces by about half.
Add your prepared beans to the frying pan and give everything a stir. Bring it back up to heat and boil it till the liquid is mostly absorbed but not totally dried out (about 10mins)
Get your oven dish and tip the bean mixture into it, spreading it evenly, then take your Spam fingers and poke them into the beans distributing all around.
Top the beans with your panko mixture and put it into the oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the dish and create a 'well' hole in the middle that goes right to the bottom of the dish, about an inch in diameter. Pour the remaining 100ml of chicken stock into the hole and put the dish back into the oven.
After another 15 minutes, remove the dish and arrange the chicken pieces and skin over the surface. Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Check it again and see if the liquid has been mostly absorbed - a couple of mm in the bottom is OK.
Naked baked beans lol...
This mini version (cassoulet recipes are normally made in huge quantities) has some quick hacks in it and notwithstanding the unusual substitution of Spam/Luncheon meat for the garlic sausage there are one or two surprising elements and steps in it! I also opted not to use duck confit as this would add a lengthy pre-preparation step, though that would undoubtedly kick it up a level.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1/2 can Spam (garlic flavour if you can find it) or equivalent other-branded luncheon meat
1 skin-on chicken thigh
150g pork belly sliced
30g pancetta sliced
Mirepoix of 1/4 cup each of diced onion, celery, carrot
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/8 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cans baked beans (I use Heinz)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp duck fat melted
1 tsp dried parsley
400ml chicken stock (I used half/half home-made/store-bought)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Olive oil for frying
Method
Preheat your oven to 180c/350f and arrange a rack in the upper third of it.
Season your chicken thigh in a shallow dish, season it with salt and pepper, cover it and par cook it in the microwave until it almost done (in my 800w microwave it took around 4 minutes). Let it cool then shred it with your fingers, keeping the skin. Tip any liquid in with your chicken stock. Note that it will be getting a second cook in the oven later so don't worry that it's a bit underdone.
Empty your two cans of baked beans into a colander and wash them under a running tap to get rid of the tomato sauce they come in. Yep - you read that right. Set them aside to drain. I got this idea from here!
Cut your Spam into little fingers of 3cm or so in length and set aside.
In a bowl, mix your panko breadcrumbs, duck fat and parsley with a spoon until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set it aside.
Take a large high-sided frying pan and in a tablespoon of olive oil, gently fry your pancetta and belly pork over a medium heat until the fat starts to render. Once it does, throw in your mirepoix and saute it for about 5 minutes until the veggies are softened and starting to take on a bit of colour.
Add in your garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
Add in the tomato paste and stir till everything is coated. Cook for another minute then add your white wine. Cook for a minute or so until the wine reduces off till almost nothing. Add the thyme.
Now add in about 300ml of your chicken stock, give everything a good mix and boil it aggressively till it reduces by about half.
Add your prepared beans to the frying pan and give everything a stir. Bring it back up to heat and boil it till the liquid is mostly absorbed but not totally dried out (about 10mins)
Get your oven dish and tip the bean mixture into it, spreading it evenly, then take your Spam fingers and poke them into the beans distributing all around.
Top the beans with your panko mixture and put it into the oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the dish and create a 'well' hole in the middle that goes right to the bottom of the dish, about an inch in diameter. Pour the remaining 100ml of chicken stock into the hole and put the dish back into the oven.
After another 15 minutes, remove the dish and arrange the chicken pieces and skin over the surface. Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Check it again and see if the liquid has been mostly absorbed - a couple of mm in the bottom is OK.
Naked baked beans lol...
