I go to France a lot and will always order a cassoulet when it’s on the menu. I love it, but it’s not the healthiest of dishes and so it shouldn’t be eaten too regularly! This is a healthier version but still delicious. Mushrooms form the base of the flavour, so if you can find a mixture of wild mushrooms, all the better.
Serves: about 6
Timing: 45 minutes
Ingredients
30g dried porcini mushrooms
500ml boiled water
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon dried thyme
400g mixed mushrooms
2 big handfuls of both kale and spinach
110g green beans
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of plain flour
300ml milk (I use oat)
2x 400g tins of cannellini beans
Handful of fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle of crispy onions
Method
1. Cover the dried mushrooms with 500ml of boiled water and set to the side for about 15 minutes.
2. While this is soaking, finely chop the onions and add to an oven-proof pan with a little oil. Allow to cook until they begin to sweat. Finely chop the garlic and add to onions, along with the thyme, and cook for a few minutes.
3. Pull apart or roughly chop the mushrooms and add them to the pan. Cook for about ten minutes, stirring frequently, until they start to brown a little. Stir through the kale and spinach until wilted.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
5. Chop the green beans in half or into bite sized chunks and add to the pan.
6. Drain the formally dried mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Chop the mushrooms and add to the mix.
7. Add the 3 tablespoons of oil and flour to the pan and mix until flour is absorbed and you can’t see white anymore. Add in mushroom water (which will probably be about 400ml after soaking the dried mushrooms) a little at a time, stirring between additions. Once all the mushroom water has been added, slowly add the milk until you get the preferred consistency. The mixture should be fairly thick and stick a little to the veg, but feel free to go with whatever consistency you prefer.
8. Add the cannellini beans, salt, pepper and the chopped fresh parsley and stir through. Sprinkle over crispy onions and put into the oven.
9. Leave in the oven for about ten minutes until it gets a little crispy on the top and the mixture bubbles.
10. Serve with your choice of delicious vegetables on the side.