Lamb Cassoulet

Winter is a great time to make cassoulet, at least I think so, as it is hearty and filling.  Traditional cassoulet is made using white beans and then a combination of pork and duck confit.  For this dinner I went a little counter to the traditional cassoulet by using shiitake mushrooms and lamb as the "meat" base.

Recipe (serves 4)
2 14.5oz cans white (cannellini) beans
2/3 lb de-boned leg of lamb
2 cups beef stock
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms
1 small carrot, peeled
1 small yellow onion
2 Tbsp dry white wine
1 Tbsp olive oil

Wash the mushrooms thoroughly and then allow to dry.  Peel the carrot and onion and dice both.  Remove the stems from the mushrooms and then cut the caps into strips.

Next, start by heating a 3qt sauce pan and the 1/2 the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and the carrots to the oil, stirring well to keep from sticking and allow to begin cooking.  While cooking the veggies, cut the lamb into 4 chunks and then add it to the pan and brown it for about 1 minute per side in the olive oil.  Add 1/2 the wine (careful that the oil might spit a little bit at this point) and using a wooden spoon scrape the lamb chunks and any excess bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the stock, reduce heat to low and cover.  Allow the lamb to braise for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice to ensure nothing sticks.

Once the lamb has been braising for about 15 minutes, begin the next step.

In a saute pan, heat the remainder of the olive oil over medium high heat and then add the mushrooms.  Stir frequently (with a wooden spoon) to prevent them from sticking, the mushrooms should release and then reabsorb their liquid and then begin to brown.  Once they have begun to brown add the remaining wine and use your spoon to scrape up any bits that have stuck, add the mushrooms to the braising lamb in the sauce pan.

Once the lamb has braised for 30 minutes add the two cans of white beans with their liquid and then continue to cook on low, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for about another hour until a "gravy" has formed.  The finished product should look very similar to the picture above :-).  At this point the lamb should be tender enough to shred with a fork.  Serve the cassoulet in bowls, ensuring that one piece of lamb ends up in each bowl ... Enjoy!