Best 4 Ad Lib Turkey Cassoulet Recipes

WHOLE-GRAIN BEAN AND TURKEY CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
• Cut a 12-inch square of cheesecloth, lay it flat and place the onion, celery, parsley, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and cloves in the center. Tie opposite corners of the cloth to make a packet; set aside.
• Mix the breadcrumbs and melted butter together in a small bowl until the breadcrumbs are coated with the butter; set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the kielbasa and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. (Take care not to let the kielbasa drippings burn; reduce the heat to medium-low if necessary.) Remove the kielbasa and set aside. Add the broth to the pot and scrape up any browned bits. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add 5 cups water; stir in the farro and 1/2 teaspoon salt and nestle the cheesecloth packet in the liquid. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the farro, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 1 hour (it will just be visible above the liquid). Discard the cheesecloth packet. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, wine, browned kielbasa, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper and bring to a medium boil; cook until much of the liquid has been absorbed and the beans and farro are visible above the liquid, about 10 minutes.
• Carefully transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake until golden brown and bubbling around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

AD-LIB TURKEY CASSOULET

Steps:

• The day before assembling the cassoulet, season turkey legs generously with salt and pepper, then wrap and refrigerate overnight. Pick over beans and give them a rinse. Soak beans in a large bowl of cold water overnight.
• The next day, drain beans and put them in a large pot. Pour in fresh water to cover beans by 3 inches. Add small onion stuck with cloves and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a simmer. Cook gently for 60 to 90 minutes, until tender. Add 2 teaspoons salt and stir with a wooden spoon to distribute. Let beans cool in the cooking liquid. (Beans may be cooked up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated in their liquid.) Drain beans in a colander set over a bowl. Reserve and use bean broth if you wish.
• Meanwhile, bring turkey legs to room temperature and heat oven to 400 degrees. Put legs in a roasting pan and cook, uncovered, until nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375. Add 3 cups hot broth to pan, then cover tightly and bake for 1 hour, or until meat is very tender. Remove legs from pan and let cool, reserving pan juices. Take off skin and gristle and remove bones (save these for stock), then tear or cut turkey meat into rough wide strips. Set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide, heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and season generously with salt and pepper. Let onions soften and color a bit, stirring, then add cayenne, 1 tablespoon thyme and 3 cloves minced garlic. Add carrots and stir to coat. Add reserved pan juices plus 2 cups hot broth, turn down heat, and simmer until carrots are cooked but still firm, about 10 minutes. Add beans and gently mix with onion and carrot. Add turkey and bacon. Let simmer for 10 minutes more, adding broth as needed to keep beans a bit soupy, but not drowning. Taste broth and beans and adjust seasoning.
• Transfer bean mixture to a low, wide 3-quart baking dish. Arrange garlic sausage evenly over surface, then push down to bury each slice. Put bread crumbs in a small bowl and add olive oil and the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add remaining thyme and garlic, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well with hands.
• Sprinkle crumb mixture over beans in an even layer. Push down on crumbs so they absorb some of the liquid. Carefully add more broth around edges of pan to make sure beans are well moistened. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake uncovered until bread crumbs are crisped and brown, about 30 minutes. Let dish rest for 15 minutes, then serve, making sure everyone gets some crust. (May be prepared 1 or 2 days ahead and refrigerated. To reheat, bring to room temperature, moisten with hot broth and bake as directed above.)

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.

TURKEY CASSOULET

Steps:

• Combine turkey, bacon, celery, onion and garlic in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake in 500 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 450. Stir in beans, tomatoes, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cover with foil. Bake 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove and discard bay leaf.