Receta Cassoulet, the leftovers; And the update
We have a door in our wall!
Very important for keeping the heat in.
Yes, it's the little things that count.
What he actually spent most of the week doing was wiring.... Not at all photogenic. The arrow points to what will soon be a light switch.
When you go through that door...
and turn around you see that door and the door to the master bathroom.
The bathroom door is blue.
It's not supposed to be blue but I promised mon mari I would spare him the telling of that story.
For those of you who were wondering what he was doing in the corner in last week's photos (other than repenting the blue door)....
He was working on these little cracks:
He still has a way to go.
For those of you who were wondering what I did with the leftover Cassoulet....
First I made Risotto.
Cassoulet Risotto
- 2/3 cup Arborio rice (or other rice specifically for risotto - Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
- 1/3 cup dry, white wine
- 2 1/4 cups chicken stock
- 1 small onion
- 1 tbs butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Condimenti
Heat chicken stock and keep hot over low heat. Finely chop onion. In medium saucepan heat butter; add the onion and sauté until transparent then add rice and sauté, stirring, for 2 - 3 minutes until rice has white center. Add white wine and stir.
Start condimenti.
When wine is almost absorbed add a 1/3 cup of stock, stir. (No need to stir constantly but do stir from time to time.) When stock is almost absorbed add another 1/3 cup and continue adding 1/3 cup at a time and stirring. Before adding the last 1/4 cup taste a few kernels of rice. They should be just 'al dente' - slightly resistant to the tooth, but fully cooked. If more stock is needed add it 1/8 cup at a time and waiting until almost completely absorbed.
At this point risotto will be thick but not stiff - there will still be visible liquid and it will not hold it's shape on a plate.
Add the Parmesan and the condimenti, stir well, pour into a bowl or risotto platter and serve immediately.
It will continue to absorb liquid and the leftovers (if any) will be quite stiff. The risottos that we have eaten in northern Italy have all been served in soup plates (flattish bowls) and eaten with a spoon - not a fork.
Condimenti
1 duck leg and thigh from Cassoulet
1 sausage from Casssoulet
1 1/2 cups beans from Cassoulet
Remove the meat from the duck leg and thigh, roughly chop. Slice the sausage. Combine the duck meat, sausage and beans. Gently heat and keep warm until needed.
That took care of half of the leftovers.....
Then I made some Pasta.
The next night I prepared the remaining Cassoulet the same as for the Condimenti and tossed it with some hot, whole wheat pasta.
It was good - all three times!
This post was contributed for Boisdale.