CHEAT’S CASSOULET WITH PORK, DUCK AND SAUSAGE

This is deceptively easy to make, but incredibly rich and decadent for an indulgent dinner with friends. I like to serve it with steamed or blanched green veges.

2 tablespoons olive oil

800 grams skinless, boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4cm pieces

120 grams pancetta, sliced 1 brown onion, finely chopped 1 large carrot, finely chopped 1 stick celery, finely chopped 4 sprigs thyme ½ teaspoon chilli flakes 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 bay leaf 5 cups chicken stock

400 grams tomato passata

2 x 390-gram tins cannellini beans, drained

4 confit duck legs 8 good-quality pork sausages

200 grams sourdough, crusts removed, roughly chopped

½ cup curly leaf parsley

1 tablespoon reserved duck fat

2 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon sea salt

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and brown the pork, in batches, until lightly browned. Remove the pork from the pot and set aside.

Add the pancetta to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, then add the onion, carrot, celery and thyme. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the chilli flakes, garlic, bay leaf, chicken stock and passata, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the pork back in. Cover and cook over a gentle heat for 2 hours, remove the lid and cook a further 2 hours. Add the drained cannellini beans and stir through.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the confit duck legs in a roasting dish. Roast for 15 minutes, then break each duck leg into about four pieces by pulling apart and set aside. Once the pork has cooked for 4 hours add the duck and gently stir through.

Cook the pork sausages in a sauté pan for about 10 minutes, until cooked through, and set aside.

Place the chopped sourdough in a food processor with the parsley, duck fat, garlic and salt and whizz to form crumbs.

At this point the cassoulet can be constructed and refrigerated overnight or continue cooking.

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Put half the pork, bean and duck mix in a large ovenproof casserole dish. Slice the sausages into four pieces and stud through the mixture. Top with remaining pork mix and cover with breadcrumbs. Bake for 1 hour before serving with green vegetables. SERVES 8-10