Ingredients

The following ingredients have 6 Servings
  • ½ tsp sunflower oil
  • 6 sausages, at least 85% meat
  • 4 celery sticks
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 onions, halved and sliced
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 450g/1lb)
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 200g/7oz piece smoked lean gammon, trimmed and cut into 2cm/1in cubes
  • 2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes
  • 150ml/5fl oz red wine (or water)
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4-5 bushy sprigs fresh thyme
  • 400g/14oz can cannellini beans in water, drained and rinsed
  • 400g/14oz can butter beans in water, drained and rinsed
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • handful fresh flatleaf parsley
  • ½ large orange, zest only, finely grated

Instruction

  • Brush a large non-stick frying pan with the sunflower oil, using the tip of a pastry brush. Add the sausages to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, turning every now and then until nicely browned on all sides.
  • Meanwhile, trim the celery and peel the carrots and cut them into diagonal slices about 1.5cm/½in thick.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
  • Add the onions to the frying pan and cook with the sausages for 6-8 minutes, stirring regularly until softened and lightly browned.
  • Trim the chicken thighs of any visible fat - we find a good pair of kitchen scissors does the job well - then cut the thighs in half.
  • Add the garlic and chicken pieces to the pan with the sausages and onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, turning the chicken twice until coloured all over.
  • Transfer everything to a large flameproof casserole dish.
  • Stir in the gammon, celery, carrots, tomatoes, red wine and 300ml/½ pint cold water, then sprinkle over the caster sugar and chilli flakes. Stir in the bay leaf and thyme and season with lots of ground black pepper.
  • Bring the cassoulet to a simmer on the hob, then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 45 minutes.
  • Take the casserole out of the oven and stir in all the beans. Cover with the lid again and put the dish back in the oven for another 30 minutes.
  • Just before the cassoulet is ready, prepare the garnish. Chop the parsley roughly and toss with the orange zest in a small bowl.
  • Serve large portions of the cassoulet in deep plates or wide bowls with a good sprinkling of the zesty parsley garnish on each one.