These days food shopping has become a bizarre competitive sport of sorts. I used to like to go to the market and see what inspired me. No more. Now I tap on my computer keyboard when the clock strikes midnight to try to wrangle a slot on FreshDirect -- and purchase whatever they have available. But, those slots have been very hard to come by. Nearly impossible. I am a loser in the game of FreshDirect
Thankfully, new options have been emerging on the scene. And, so the last time I needed to place a grocery order, I turned to Baldor, a popular restaurant food delivery company that's now making home deliveries too.
Despite the wide selection and gorgeous array of products on the site, there is a major challenge in navigating Baldor -- size matters. Don't mean that in a smutty way. Mean that in a "restaurant order quantities" kind of way. Eyeing that Grass Fed Beef Skirt Steak from Joyce Farms? Better be ready to order 20 lbs. of it. That Extra Fancy Rhubarb looking tasty right now? You had better fancy a full 10 lbs.
Needless to say, it took me over an hour and a half of hunting on the site to narrow down the items that I could visualize ordering without my fridge running out of room. A 5 lb. brick of Ground Beef was purchased, as were eight Beefsteak Tomatoes, a dozen bottles of San Pellegrino Sparkling Water, and a 3 ltr. jug of olive oil, among other items -- including four plump Toulouse Sausages from Fabrique Délices, which were placed in my cart on a whim.
Was I planning to live up to my "whim" and make Cassoulet? I mean, that's the only time I have ever seen Toulouse sausages in a recipe. They are key a component of a Cassoulet, along with Duck Confit, Salted Pork, Pork Shoulder, Cannellini Beans, and a litany of other ingredients. Typically, one French garlicky pot of the the stuff serves about 12 hungry guests. Did I think Cassoulet was going to happen for little ole me in quarantine?
Let's think about this for minute...
I think not.
And, so a quarantine compromise was born -- Cassoulet-Style Beans -- which were the perfect accompaniment to two Toulouse sausages, seared on my cast iron grill pan. I couldn't find dried beans, so a couple of cans had to do. I think we can agree that "making do" is perfectly fine right now. Authenticity can be tossed aside. Deliciousness, though?
I think not.
Cassoulet-Style Beans
(Serves 4 as a side dish)
2 cans of Cannellini beans (15 oz. each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 - 3 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
bunch of fresh thyme (tied with twine, bouquet garni-style)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
3 tablespoons butter (melted)
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sautee for 3 - 4 minutes, until they just begin to soften. Add garlic and sautee a couple of minutes more. Put celery and carrots into the pot and stir every once in while for about 10 - 12 minutes, until they start to soften too. Pour in beef broth and scrape off any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring temperature up to a steady simmer. Stir in tomato paste and add the thyme. Allow to cook until most of the broth has evaporated and the vegetables are quite soft (about 15 minutes). Turn off heat. Drain beans. Add into the vegetable mixture along with 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Set oven to 400 degrees. Place bean mixture in a baking pan -- one big enough that the beans are about 1 - 1 1/2 inch thick from the bottom. Toss together bread crumbs, parsley, onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and melted butter. Scatter the topping over the beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and put on a trivet to serve.
