CASSOULET FOR FOUR

Café Medina’s executive chef Chris West offers up this comforting cassoulet for home cooks. If there is a French dish more deserving of a glass of wine, I don’t know what that would be.

■ 4 cups (250 g) cooked white beans

■ 5 oz (150 g) Legends Haul Spades Bacon

■ 5 oz (150 g) andouille

■ 5 oz (150 g) garlic farmer’s sausage

■ 1 yellow onion, small dice

■ 3 garlic cloves, minced

■ 4 Roma tomatoes, medium dice

■ 1 cup (250 ml) red wine

■ Generous 3 tbsp (50 ml) sherry vinegar

■ One 14-oz (398-ml) can crushed tomatoes

■ 1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup

■ 3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh chopped rosemary

■ Salt and pepper, to taste

■ 4-8 eggs

1. Cook beans in salted boiling water until soft. They should hold their shape but not be granular when you bite into them. Your water should taste like the ocean. Remove from water and let sit on a pan until needed. Cut each meat into four 1 oz (30 g) slabs, then medium dice the rest.

2. Heat a large saucepan over low-medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Toss in your leftover diced meats. Let some of the fat render out. Toss in onions and garlic and stir until onions are soft and translucent. Add tomatoes and cook until soft. Deglaze pan with red wine and sherry vinegar. Let the liquid reduce by half. Add crushed tomato and mix thoroughly. Turn the heat to medium and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary and taste. When seasoned to your liking, fold in white beans.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Place 1 oz (30 g) slabs of meat on an oiled tray in oven until browned, about 5-7 minutes. While the meat is cooking, cook the eggs to your liking. Scoop hot cassoulet sauce onto a large lipped plate or bowl. Add one slab of each type of meat from the bake sheet to the top of the sauce. Place cooked eggs on top. Soft yolks are best so you can stir into the sauce.

Makes: 4 servings