Ingredients
Method
At home:
- In a large sauté pan or heavy pot, fry the mushrooms and aubergine in batches in a bit of olive oil, adding more as necessary, until soft and slightly browned. (You could roast them all at once in the oven for ease, but in this dish I prefer the vegetables pan-fried - it's up to you!) Remove when cooked and reserve on the side while you cook the "mirepoix".
- In the same pan/pot, heat up some more olive oil and gently cook the leeks (or onion), carrots, celery, and garlic with the herb sprigs, bay leaf, cloves, and a big pinch of salt. Stir occasionally, cooking until softened and golden, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste if using and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Stir in white wine and let it bubble a bit, then add the beans, vegetable stock, and tomatoes and parmesan rind if using. Summer for about 30 minutes, until all of the vegetables are super tender. Add a good grind of pepper then check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if you'd like.
To dehydrate:
- Discard the herb sprigs and bay leaf and leave to cool. Spread the cassoulet onto dehydrator trays lined with nonstick sheets or parchment paper. Dehydrate at 63C / 145F for 8-10 hours until totally dry. Divide into portions then vac pac or store in baggies until ready to use (I recommend using within a month or two).
For the garlic breadcrumbs:
- In the meantime, make the garlic crumbs. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. Toss the breadcrumbs with the oil, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden. Vac pac or store in baggies until ready to use (these crumbs are a handy way to add flavour and crunch to all sorts of recipes!).
On the trail:
- Put your cassoulet in a pot and add water to cover. Bring water to boil.
- Simmer the cassoulet for 5-10 minutes, until all of the beans and vegetables are soft. Add more water if needed to achieve the desired consistency.
- Serve topped with garlic breadcrumbs.
Notes
- If you can, start with dried beans (you'll need about 250g of dried beans), soaked for a few hours, then boiled in water with half an onion and a bay leaf. The bean liquid can also substitute the vegetable stock.
- I like to add tomatoes but they aren't necessary. The tomatoes add brightness and acidity, making it more of a Mediterranean bean stew. Without tomatoes, the cassoulet is more savoury and rustic, which is no bad thing!
- Shortcut: put the onion, celery, and carrots in a food processor to chop finely, rather than chopping by hand. This is the French classic mirepoix, not traditionally used in cassoulet but helps add depth and sweetness to this sans-meat version of cassoulet.
- This recipe uses a fair bit of olive oil, which can contribute to rancidity in dehydrated food. For this reason I recommend using this within a few weeks, or store in the fridge or freezer for extra shelf life.