AuthorAnn Ogden GaffneyThis easy, warming Louisiana Style Andouille & White Bean Stew is a quick, spicy version of cassoulet, the classic French bean dish. It's a real cold weather dish, satisfying and delicious. It =takes a while to cook, but you can leave it gently bubbling on the back of the stove while you do other things. I use Cajun style andouille made from poultry instead of pork when I can find it. I also cook my own beans as I like to add their liquor to the stew, but you can use canned beans instead, just rinse them before adding to the pot. The stew will taste just as good!
Heat the olive oil over a medium high in a heavy, wide braising pan until it just starts to ripple. Add the onion, celery and pancetta. Sprinkle with salt. Cook stirring until the onions start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the cayenne pods and bayleaf. Lower the flame to medium and partially cover. Cook until the vegetables are just soft, about 5-8 minutes
Remove the lid and turn the flame to medium high. Add the minced garlic. Cook stirring until the garlic is fragrant. Add the dry white wine and deglaze the pan.
When the wine is syrupy, add the andouille and stir to mix. Cook 2 minutes. Add the bouquet garni, the beans and their liquor. Top up with water to just cover the beans. Cover. Turn the flame down to low and cook 20-30 minutes or until the beans are soft and creamy.
Remove the lid. Remove the bouquet garni and discard. Taste for salt. Mash some of the beans against the side of the pan. Stir to mix and let the stew sit 5 minutes. Serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil over boiled basmati rice or grilled garlic rubbed sourdough.
Quick Tip:
If you use canned beans for the stew, drain and rinse 2 cans of beans and add 2 cups of stock or water to cover.
To make the bouquet garni place 2-3 sprigs of parsley, a bayleaf a couple of sprigs of thyme (or a pinch of dried) onto a square of cheesecloth and tie corners together tightly to seal.
Slow Cooked White Beans:
These low sodium basic slow cooked beans are the basic ingredient for many stews and soups, so you want to cook them just ‘al dente’ with a little bit of bite, so that they can finish cooking in your chosen dish. I don’t add salt until the end, instead to add flavor I put in a cheesecloth packet of garlic and rosemary plus a drizzle of olive oil, but if you find it too fiddly to wrap the herbs, it’s not necessary, just put them straight into the beans. I like to do it because it keeps the garlic and rosemary, especially the rosemary, from disintegrating into the beans during the long cooking.
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 x 2” sprig rosemary
2 cups dried cannellini beans
6 cups water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
1. Wrap and securely tie the garlic and rosemary in a piece of cheesecloth. Set aside.
2. Rinse the beans and place in a heavy bottomed pan. Cover with the water. Bring to a boil over a medium high flame. Add the garlic and rosemary. Turn the heat down to low. Drizzle in the olive oil. Cover.
3. Cook at a bare simmer for 2 hours. If the beans look dry, add a little boiling water just to cover. After 2 hours, test the beans. They should be just ‘al dente’ and not too soft. If they are still too crisp in texture, cook another 30 minutes checking for doneness every 10-15 minutes - there’s a point when beans can quickly go soft.
4. When the beans are ready, add salt to taste, turn off the flame and let cool to room temperature. Remove the packet of garlic and rosemary and squeeze out any liquid. Use beans immediately as per recipe or freeze.
Quick Tip:
Old beans can take longer to cook, so always buy dried beans from stores with high foot traffic.
This easy, warming Louisiana Style Andouille & White Bean Stew is a quick, spicy version of cassoulet, the classic French bean dish. It's a real cold weather dish, satisfying and delicious.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the olive oil over a medium high in a heavy, wide braising pan until it just starts to ripple. Add the onion, celery and pancetta. Sprinkle with salt. Cook stirring until the onions start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the cayenne pods and bayleaf. Lower the flame to medium and partially cover. Cook until the vegetables are just soft, about 5-8 minutes
Remove the lid and turn the flame to medium high. Add the minced garlic. Cook stirring until the garlic is fragrant. Add the dry white wine and deglaze the pan.
When the wine is syrupy, add the andouille and stir to mix. Cook 2 minutes. Add the bouquet garni, the beans and their liquor. Top up with water to just cover the beans. Cover. Turn the flame down to low and cook 20-30 minutes or until the beans are soft and creamy.
Remove the lid. Remove the bouquet garni and discard. Taste for salt. Mash some of the beans against the side of the pan. Stir to mix and let the stew sit 5 minutes. Serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil over boiled basmati rice or grilled garlic rubbed sourdough.
Quick Tip:
If you use canned beans for the stew, drain and rinse 2 cans of beans and add 2 cups of stock or water to cover.
To make the bouquet garni place 2-3 sprigs of parsley, a bayleaf a couple of sprigs of thyme (or a pinch of dried) onto a square of cheesecloth and tie corners together tightly to seal.
Slow Cooked White Beans:
These low sodium basic slow cooked beans are the basic ingredient for many stews and soups, so you want to cook them just ‘al dente’ with a little bit of bite, so that they can finish cooking in your chosen dish. I don’t add salt until the end, instead to add flavor I put in a cheesecloth packet of garlic and rosemary plus a drizzle of olive oil, but if you find it too fiddly to wrap the herbs, it’s not necessary, just put them straight into the beans. I like to do it because it keeps the garlic and rosemary, especially the rosemary, from disintegrating into the beans during the long cooking.
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 x 2” sprig rosemary
2 cups dried cannellini beans
6 cups water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
1. Wrap and securely tie the garlic and rosemary in a piece of cheesecloth. Set aside.
2. Rinse the beans and place in a heavy bottomed pan. Cover with the water. Bring to a boil over a medium high flame. Add the garlic and rosemary. Turn the heat down to low. Drizzle in the olive oil. Cover.
3. Cook at a bare simmer for 2 hours. If the beans look dry, add a little boiling water just to cover. After 2 hours, test the beans. They should be just ‘al dente’ and not too soft. If they are still too crisp in texture, cook another 30 minutes checking for doneness every 10-15 minutes - there’s a point when beans can quickly go soft.
4. When the beans are ready, add salt to taste, turn off the flame and let cool to room temperature. Remove the packet of garlic and rosemary and squeeze out any liquid. Use beans immediately as per recipe or freeze.
Quick Tip:
Old beans can take longer to cook, so always buy dried beans from stores with high foot traffic.
