Italian Cassoulet Italian Chili Recipes

SLOW-COOKER CASSOULET

Steps:

• Combine beans, crushed garlic, onion, carrots, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves and meats in a slow cooker, and turn heat to high. (If you like, brown sausage and duck legs in a skillet before adding.) Add stock or water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and cook until beans and meats are tender, 5 to 6 hours on high heat, 7 hours or more on low.
• When done, add salt and pepper to taste, along with minced garlic. If you like, remove cassoulet from slow cooker, and place in a deep casserole; cover with bread crumbs and roast at 400 degrees until bread crumbs brown, about 15 minutes. Garnish and serve.

ITALIAN CHILI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Meanwhile, in a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, red pepper, water, celery, broth, chili powder, Italian seasoning, sugar, garlic and salt. , Drain beef mixture; add to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. , Add the beans, mushrooms, zucchini and parsley. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN "CASSOULET"

Steps:

• In a medium skillet cook sausages in oil over moderate heat, turning them, until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 8 minutes, and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• In fat remaining in skillet cook onions and garlic, stirring, until golden, and stir in herbs (including bay leaf), scallions or parsley, tomatoes with juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Boil mixture, stirring, 5 minutes. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add sausage and beans to tomato mixture and cook, stirring, until heated through. Discard bay leaf and keep "cassoulet" warm, covered.
• Make topping:
• In a small skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté bread until pale golden. Stir in garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and sauté, stirring, 1 minute.
• Transfer "cassoulet" to a 1-quart serving dish and cover evenly with topping.

SWEET ITALIAN CHILI

Steps:

• Brown ground beef in a dutch oven.
• Drain and return to pan.
• Add bell pepper, parsley, onion and celery.
• Saute until onion is clear, approximately 5 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients and simmer 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

ITALIAN CASSOULET (ITALIAN CHILI)

Steps:

• Simmer beans about an hour to an hour and a half in plenty of water until almost done. You don't want the beans disintegrating during the next stage of cooking.
• Drain and set aside.
• Add olive oil to large, heavy pot.
• Cook sausage, pepper, onions and coarse garlic until sausage is no longer pink, stirring to break up meat into chunks, about 3/8" or so.
• Add tomatoes, minced garlic, beans, broth, habaneros and rosemary.
• Bring to simmer, cover and simmer an hour or so - until beans are done and rosemary has absorbed enough liquid to be comfortably edible.
• Refrigerate for one day.
• Then reheat amounts as needed and serve with Pugliese and a fine Chianti.
• Makes about a gallon.