Make a warming winter meal: we cut the fat and cholesterol but kept the flavor in this hearty French casserole - Make it natural: a better way to cook - Vegetarian Cassoulet

Natural Health, Dec, 2002 by Elizabeth Germain

CASSOULET, A CLASSIC DISH from the Languedoc region in southwestern France, is a flavorful stew of white beans, aromatic broth, and several kinds of meat combined with herbs and spices, topped with bread crumbs, and baked slowly in a heavy casserole pan. Although it's a wonderful comfort food, traditional cassoulet is high in fat and can be hard to digest because of its rich assortment of meats. It's also incredibly time-consuming, and can take days to prepare.

The allure of cassoulet tempted me to create a healthier and less complicated meatless version, The results surpassed my expectations, dramatically reducing the calories, cholesterol, fat, and sodium. Yet I still loved the aroma, the texture, and the authentic taste. And my version of this famous dish takes only an hour to prepare.

The Meat of the Matter

Cooks in southwestern France still dispute which meats make the best cassoulet, but various combinations of pork, sausage, mutton, partridge, duck, and goose may be used. I had to find meat substitutes that would provide plenty of protein and flavor. Marinated tempeh strips, sold under the name "Fakin' Bacon" by Lightlife Foods, worked great. They browned nicely and added a smoky element and great texture. Portobello mushrooms, with their chewy texture and deep, earthy flavor, proved to be another good addition.

Beans and Broth

I decided to make recipes with both canned and dry beans. Canned beans save time; using them, you can prepare the recipe in an hour. Navy beans are most often called for, but white or great northern beans also work well in this dish. Using dried beans more than doubles the cooking time. But if you can find French flageolet beans, it's time well spent. These small kidney-shaped beans with a green tint are delectable and remain firm even when cooked.

A well-made cassoulet is moist, with enough liquid to keep the ingredients together. Traditional recipes use meat stocks, wine, and bean cooking broth. In my recipes a combination of store-bought vegetable broth and white wine provides the fullest flavor with the least amount of work.

Finishing Touches

A typical cassoulet contains onions and tomatoes, but I found that carrots, celery, and fennel made flavorful and healthful additions. I added allspice, bay leaf, cloves, parsley, rosemary, and thyme, along with plenty of garlic, to give the cassoulet its signature flavor. A small amount of soy sauce lent extra depth and fullness. Olive oil proved the best substitute for the traditionally used goose fat. Last but not least came the topping. Usually cooks top the casserole with fine bread crumbs and break the crust several times during baking. I found it easier simply to cover the casserole with toasted multigrain bread cubes and let them develop into a nice crusty top.

You can easily halve this recipe or double it; it's perfect to feed a crowd. Serve this dish with a green salad and simple fruit dessert; and you'll have a healthy and robust winter meal.

Vegetarian Cassoulet

SERVES 8

This meatless version of the famous French
winter dish is hearty and warming. It's also
ready in one hour--quite a feat, since a traditional
recipe can take days to prepare. If
you don't cook with alcohol, substitute vegetable
broth for the white wine. If you'd rather
cook your own beans than use canned beans,
see the Flageolet Beans recipe on page 85.

Topping
7-8 slices multigrain bread, cut
  into 1/2-inch dice (about 6
  cups)
  Olive oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons minced fresh
  parsley
2 medium garlic cloves, minced

Cassoulet
1 1/2  tablespoons extra-virgin olive
  oil
8 strips Lightlife Foods Fakin'
  Bacon (6-ounce package), cut
  crosswise into quarters
1 large onion, chopped small
1 medium carrot, chopped small
1 medium celery stalk, chopped
  small
1 small fennel bulb, core and
  stems removed, bulb chopped
  small
1 large portobello mushroom,
  stem discarded and cap
  chopped small
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
  or 3/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary,
  crumbled
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 14.5-ounce can diced
  tomatoes, drained
2 14.5-ounce cans navy beans,
  great northern, or small white
  beans, drained and rinsed
3 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon soy sauce

1. For topping: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle
position and heat oven to 400
degrees. Spread bread cubes on baking
sheet and spray with olive oil. Bake until
lightly browned and crisp, 10to 12 minutes.
Transfer bread cubes to medium bowl and
stir in parsley and garlic; set aside. Lower
oven temperature to 325 degrees.

2. For cassoulet: Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon
oil in large, heavy pot or Dutch oven
over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add
tempeh strips and cook until browned, 3 to
4 minutes. Turn pieces over and cook until
browned on second side, 2 to 3 minutes
more. Transfer to large plate lined with
paper towel.

3. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil and
onion to empty pot. Cook, stirring occasionally,
until softened and lightly browned,
about 5 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and
fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until
softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushroom
and cook until liquid released by mushroom
has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic
and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Add thyme, rosemary, cloves, allspice, and
pepper and cook until fragrant, about
30 seconds. Stir in wine and, scraping up
browned bits on pan bottom, cook until
wine is reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir
in tomatoes, beans, broth, bay leaf, and soy
sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove pot
from heat.

4. Spoon half of bean mixture into 13 by 9-inch
casserole dish. Spread tempeh strips
evenly over beans. Cover with remaining
bean mixture. Cover surface of beans with
bread cubes. Bake, uncovered, until cassoulet
is hot and topping is golden brown,
about 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes
and serve.

PER SERVING: 335 CALORIES, 17 G PROTEIN, 5 G FAT,
1 G SATURATED FAT, 54 G CARBOHYDRATES, 10 G FIBER,
385 MG SODIUM, 13% CALCIUM

Cooked Flageolet Beans

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS COOKED BEANS

If you have time to cook your own beans for
cassoulet, this recipe for flageolet beans makes
a wonderful alternative to canned navy beans.
Flageolet beans are small, pale green beans
related to kidney and cannellini beans; look
for them in gourmet food stores. Follow the
recipe for Vegetarian Cassoulet, replacing
navy beans with 3 cups cooked flageolet beans
and 1 cup bean cooking liquid. Reduce vegetable
broth to 2 1/4 cups. Soaking the beans
overnight saves cooking time.

1 1/4 cups dried flageolet beans,
  picked over and rinsed
1 small onion, peeled and left
  whole
2 small garlic cloves, peeled and
  left whole
1 bay leaf