Pop on a beret and your favourite striped t-shirt because Bastille Day is just around the corner - July 14 to be exact - and what better way to honour the French national holiday (Fête Nationale) than by making Robbie’s express take on the French classic, cassoulet.

Cassoulet is inextricably tied to French culture but like so many cultural touchstones when you get down to the details, variations abound. In this version of the hearty winter dish, Robbie has given you a few short cuts, including canned beans instead of dried and our very own Cook's Series Slow-Roast Duck Leg and Free Range Pork Belly.

The dish will serve 3-4 people and calls for little more than a simple green salad dressed in a classic French vinaigrette. Pair it with a full-bodied red wine such as cabernet sauvignon or Côtes du Rhône and you’ve got yourself the perfect Bastille Day meal.

Ingredients

• 2 pork sausages, halved
• 1 stick celery, diced 
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 onion, sliced into half moons
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 4 tomatoes, sliced
• 3 cans white beans (cannellini), drained
• 1 pack Cook's Series Free Range Pork Belly, cut into chunks
• 500ml chicken stock (or enough to not quite cover the beans)
• 1 pack Cook's Series Slow-Roast Duck Leg, whole
• olive oil, a couple of good glugs
• salt & pepper to taste
  
  For the breadcrumb topping:
• 1 packet panko breadcrumbs
• 20 sprigs of thyme, chopped finely
• 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
• 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and prepare your celery, carrots, tomatoes, and garlic, as well as your meats.
2. Using a heavy bottomed cast iron pan, fry off the sausage in a little olive oil until browned, then set aside in a bowl. In the same pan that you used for the sausages, add the celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. Turn down the heat. Give them a good stir, then sweat them off with the lid on. Make sure not to colour them. Once those are half-way sweated off, add the tomatoes, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to incorporate the tomatoes, then return the lid to the pan. Cook for 10 more minutes, or until the tomatoes have cooked down. Remove from the heat.
3. In a bowl, add white beans and vegetable mix, a little salt and pepper and once stirred check seasoning. Add the sausages and pork belly to the bowl and combine. Spoon mixture into a heavy bottomed, oven-proof, cast iron pan or cassoulet dish, then add the chicken stock (enough to not quite cover the beans), and top with the duck leg. Ensure the duck leg is pushed down so it is partially submerged into the mixture. Now place the pan in the oven to cook for 25 minutes to heat through.
4. While the cassoulet is in the oven, prepare the breadcrumb topping by combining the Panko, parsley, thyme, and garlic into a mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then mix well.
5. After 25 minutes, remove the cassoulet from the oven and top with your breadcrumb mixture. Return to the oven for 15 minutes so that the breadcrumbs are lightly browned, then remove, and that’s it! Enjoy with crusty bread, a nice glass of red wine, and great friends and family.