It may be July, but this definitely isn't salad weather. I've just finished making a batch of my favourite grub for keeping the cold and wet out, and thought I would share the recipe with you.

It's a variation on a classic French rustic dish, and although it takes time to prepare, it's well worth the trouble. Enjoy!

Lancashire Cassoulet

Ingredients

1 piece of belly pork, about 12 ins. square - ask butcher to bone it out, and remove rind (tell him you want bones and rind - you can make barbecue ribs and scratchings out of them).
4 pig's feet.
1 pkt. Dried haricot beans.
2 good sized onions.
2 -:- leeks.
2 -:- potatoes.
Lentils.
Vegetable stock or bouillon.
6 cooked thick pork sausages of own preference.

Method

Day One:
Leave haricot beans to soak in plenty water overnight.
Bring pig's feet to boil in enough water to cover, then simmer for half an hour. Then drain water off, add same amount of fresh water with salt to taste, bring to boil again, then leave gently simmering for three hours, or until tender. Leave pig's feet in pan to stand overnight.

Day Two:
Remove pig's feet from pan, and break them up. If there is any lean meat in them, save and add to cassoulet, shortly before end of cooking. The stock off them should be like jelly. Save this.

Dice belly pork up in 1 inch cubes, coarsely chop onions, and slice leeks (DON'T trim any fat off belly pork ).

Drain haricot beans, add fresh water, bring to boil and simmer for ten mins, then drain and rinse beans in cold water.

Put beans in pan, add enough vegetable stock to cover, and bring to simmer. When stock is simmering, add jelly from pig's feet. When jelly has melted, add belly pork, onions, leeks and seasoning. Leave simmering very gently, stir regularly.

Allow ingredients to 'cook down' and thicken, like pea soup. After about 90 mins, add a teacup full of lentils, which have been pre-simmered and rinsed, like the haricot beans.

Leave to simmer until belly pork tender; preferably for about three hours. If there seems to be too much liquid in pan, peel and coarsely grate the potatoes, and stir these well in.

When cassoulet is almost cooked, roughly chop cooked sausages and add to mixture, along with any lean meat saved from pig's feet. Leave to cook for another 30 mins before serving.

Note: If cassoulet seems to be getting thick and stodgy during cooking, add more vegetable stock. Ideally, the finished product should be like thick pea soup.

An excellent variation of this dish can be made by replacing the belly pork and sausage with breast of lamb and neck chops.

Thanks for that Finbar . I have sent this off to DAVE MYERS of the BBCs HAIRY BIKERS so dont be surprised if one day its on national TV one day With thanks given to you of course

Oh yummy that does sound delicious I love all the ingridients except for the pigs feet ,never fancied them ....certainly one of those "comfort meals" we all remember.

wendy wrote:
I love all the ingridients except for the pigs feet ,never fancied them

You only use the stock off them and the lean meat Wendy. They really add to the flavour.
If you like good quality pork pies you will have probably eaten pigs feet in one form - that's where all the delicious jelly comes from!

I wondered why some times they gave me the
TROTT(er)S

Finbar wrote: ... They really add to the flavour. ...

Would it depend upon what the pig had been standing in?

NigelWaring wrote:
Would it depend upon what the pig had been standing in?

All adds to the flavour Nigel !

yes I love pork pies Finbar ,we can't buy them here so it's always on my "must have list " when I come home. Speaking of the pickled pigs feet though my father-in-law absolutely loved them right out of the jar

How is it I just finished me tea feeling very full, and now I'm hungry again?
The recipe has been printed Finbar. I love piggies feet, pickled or sober, I love em. I remember my fingertips getting all wrinkly from the vinegar from holding the delicious things between them.
I'll let you know how it goes, it should be next weekend.
Philip

If you try the recipe Phil, use fresh pig's feet, not pickled ones; this is essential. I forgot to mention this as although I know you can buy pickled pig's feet, they are generally sold fresh here.

If you can get fresh pig's tails, all the better. Cook them and use them in the same manner as pig's feet. They are even tastier.

Use the cooking liquid/jelly as stock, along with the veg stock/bouillon, and pick the lean meat out of the feet/tails for addition to the rest of the ingredients about half an hour before end of cooking. Good luck!

To tell you the truth Finbar, I've been looking at fresh pigs feet lately, something I honestly can't say I'm used to, although I did just have a flashback of cooking some just then. IF they have pickled pigs feet in the shop, I'll smell em out though, just follow me nose.
Looking forward to trying your recipe soon Finbar, nowt like a bit of Good Food!
Philip

Wendy Melton Mowbrey pies are just, i have to be very careful with meat pies about once a week or fortnightly other wise it will upset my Gastric Juices and reach for the Gavisgon. Regards Doris

That sounds a perfect meal Finbar. Regards Doris

Welcome back Doris we missed you while you were on your holiday ,did you have a good time ? Tell us about where you went etc. if you have time.

I love Melton Mowbrey pork pies , my folks lived near there at one time & the pies were delicious ,the best