French Recipes

Mounjetado

Ariège's white-bean casserole combines Coco de Pamiers with pork rind, cured ham, duck confit and Toulouse sausage in a long, gentle bake.

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Mounjetado — shown in a pan
Prep 50 minutes
Cook 255 minutes
Total 1025 minutes
Yield 8 hearty portions
Ingredients ↓
Introduction and overview

Ariège mounjetado with Coco de Pamiers, duck confit and Toulouse sausage

Mounjetado, also known as estouffat de mounjes, belongs to Ariège and should not be reduced to the label of generic cassoulet. The bean identity matters: Coco de Pamiers is the reference point here, cooked with pork rind, cured ham, duck confit and Toulouse sausage. The household method is deliberately manageable, but it keeps the dish's logic intact: soaked white beans, separately controlled meats, a generous but not greasy stock, and a long oven cook that leaves the beans creamy inside while still recognisably whole.

The work starts the night before. Soak the dried beans under refrigeration at 5 °C or below, then discard that water and cook the beans in fresh water. They need to be nearly tender before entering the casserole, because acid, salt and fat from the meat can slow further softening. The target after the preliminary simmer is about 1.2 kilograms of drained beans from 500 grams dry. Salt is intentionally not added early; cured ham, confit and sausage already bring substantial seasoning.

Meat control is as important as the beans. Render and brown the pork and duck in measured fat, drain away free grease, and cook the raw Toulouse sausage to 71 °C before cutting it. The assembled casserole then bakes slowly at 150 °C, covered for two hours and uncovered for the last 30 minutes. Avoid vigorous stirring. By the end, the sauce should cling between intact beans and tender meat rather than become a mashed, fatty paste.

Success points

Success points

  • Soak the beans in the refrigerator and discard the soak water.
  • Cook the beans nearly tender in fresh water before they meet the cured meats.
  • Retain only a thin film of duck fat rather than a visible pool.
  • Cook the Toulouse sausage to 71 °C.
  • Bake slowly and stir as little as possible so the beans remain intact.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Beans

  • 500 g Coco de Pamiers dried white beans
  • 2000 ml cold water — for refrigerated soaking; discard after soaking
  • 2500 ml fresh water — for the first boil and simmer; drain before casserole assembly

Meat and vegetables

  • 150 g pork rind — cut into strips
  • 150 g cured ham — in one piece or large dice
  • 800 g bone-in duck confit legs — 4 legs; about 480 g edible meat after deboning
  • 400 g Toulouse sausage — raw pork sausage
  • 250 g carrots — diced
  • 250 g onions — diced
  • 100 g celery — diced
  • 15 g garlic — finely chopped
  • 40 g duck fat
  • 1200 ml low-salt poultry stock — hot
Method

Method

Beans

  1. Soak the beans cold. Cover the 500 g dried beans with 2,000 ml cold water and refrigerate for the full overnight soak. Allow 12 hours soaking. Target temperature: 5 °C. The beans are visibly swollen and evenly hydrated but still hold their skins. Soak at 5 °C or below, not on a warm counter.

  2. Boil in fresh water. Drain the beans and discard that water, transfer the beans to a large pot with 2,500 ml fresh water, bring to a full boil and skim. Cook for about 10 minutes. The fresh water is at a full boil and surface foam has been skimmed away. Use fresh water after soaking.

  3. Simmer until nearly tender. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook the beans until almost tender, then drain; the target is about 1,200 g cooked drained beans. Cook for about 45 minutes. The beans are creamy inside when bitten but remain intact and do not collapse under light pressure. Drain promptly and keep the cooked beans hot for assembly.

Meats and casserole

  1. Brown the cured meats and duck. Render the pork rind and cured ham with the supplied duck fat, then brown the duck confit legs in controlled batches; drain off free fat, retaining 20 g added fat for the casserole. Cook for about 18 minutes. The meats have browned edges and the casserole holds only a thin film of retained fat rather than a pool. Bones remain in the duck legs at this stage; handle carefully.

  2. Cook the sausage safely. Brown the 400 g Toulouse sausage on all sides until its centre reaches 71 °C, then set it aside briefly before cutting into large pieces. Cook for about 12 minutes. The sausage is evenly browned and the centre has reached 71 °C. Pork sausage or ground meat must reach 71 °C.

  3. Soften the vegetables. Soften the onions, carrots and celery in the casserole, then add the garlic for the final minute. Cook for about 10 minutes. The vegetables are softened and glossy without deep browning, and the garlic smells fragrant rather than toasted.

  4. Assemble the casserole. Layer the drained beans, pork rind, ham, deboned edible duck meat and sausage in the casserole, add the 1,200 ml hot stock and bring just to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes. The stock rises through the beans and the casserole is gently simmering without violent bubbling. Remove duck bones before serving; check carefully for small bone fragments.

  5. Bake slowly. Bake at 150 °C, covered for the first two hours and uncovered for the final 30 minutes, stirring only gently if the top dries unevenly. The beans are creamy but intact, the meats are tender and the sauce has thickened enough to cling between the beans. Long slow cooking joins the bean starch, stock and meat juices without turning the beans to purée. Keep the casserole hot until serving and refrigerate leftovers within two hours.

Serving and planning

Practical

Serving

Spoon the casserole into deep bowls so every portion includes beans, sauce, duck, sausage and some cured pork. Check carefully for small duck bones before serving.

Make-ahead

Mounjetado is suitable for making a day ahead. Cool it promptly in shallow portions, refrigerate, then reheat gently. The beans will absorb liquid overnight, so a small measured splash of low-salt stock may be needed during reheating.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate within two hours at 5 °C or below and use within three days. Reheat to steaming throughout. Freezing is possible, but the beans can become softer after thawing; cool completely before freezing in meal-size portions.

Substitutions

If Coco de Pamiers is not available, use plain small white or lingot-type dried beans with a similar size and cooking behaviour. That is a practical adaptation only; it does not preserve the specific Coco de Pamiers identity. Do not substitute a tomato-heavy cassoulet base or breadcrumb crust and still call it the same preparation.

Troubleshooting

Broken beans usually come from a hard boil or rough stirring; keep the simmer gentle and fold the casserole only when necessary.

Troubleshooting

A greasy surface means too much confit or duck fat was retained; spoon off free fat before the final uncovered bake.

Troubleshooting

A dry casserole needs a measured splash of hot low-salt stock; do not return to raw soaking water.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving size1 of 8 hearty portions, about 500 g
  • Calories688 kcal
  • Carbohydrate43 g
  • Protein46 g
  • Fat38 g
  • Fibre11.2 g
  • Sodium1320 mg
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Allergens: Celery

Safety: Soak beans under refrigeration at 5 °C or below and discard the soak water.

Safety: Cook raw pork sausage to 71 °C.

Safety: Watch for duck bones and remove them before serving.

Safety: Cooked beans and meats must be refrigerated within two hours.

Safety: Cured meats and sausage may contain additional allergens or sulphites depending on manufacturer; check labels.

FAQ

FAQ

Why is no extra salt listed?

Cured ham, duck confit and Toulouse sausage already carry substantial sodium. Taste only after the casserole has cooked and do not assume it needs more salt.

Why cook the beans before baking?

The preliminary simmer makes sure the beans are nearly tender before they encounter salty, fatty meat and a long oven stage. It also makes the final texture easier to control.

Closing

Closing

  • Result: Ariège's white-bean casserole combines Coco de Pamiers with pork rind, cured ham, duck confit and Toulouse sausage in a long, gentle bake.
  • Decisive technique: Soak the beans in the refrigerator and discard the soak water.
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