Village Squire, 1975-10, Page 21Squire's Chef
In praise
of the lowly
bean
BY RON RUDD
The bean is the subject of October's
column. This seed that has fostered empires,
fed armies and made Boston famous, is a
varied and delicious source of protein. Huron
County is famous for beans and even
produces a bean festival for those who relish
the old baked bean dish.
There is some doubt that Boston should
claim the fame it does. Provincial France has
An Ancient Cassoulet which is the Acme of
bean dishes in my view. This crisp -topped
melage of meat, poultry and beans is a
symphony of flavours, textures and aromas. It
dates from Roman days and the people of
Languedoc are particularly fond of the rich
dish.
Let us deal with the meat first. There is a
controversy about whether it should be goose
or duck. The decision to use Iamb or pork also
raises tempers in Carcassonne or Castel-
naudry. For the Canadian palate it would be
wise to choose duck.
Look for a nice young 4-5 Ib. duckling.
Roast or broil the duck and after it is cooked
divide into bite -sized pieces. Be sure that all
the bits and pieces are included. Pick the
bones if you must but get as much duck as
possible. Drain the juices into a bowl and
skim off the fat and save both fat and juices.
So much for the duck. We need about 1/i
pound fresh diced pork fat, 1 pound pork loin
cut in chunks (2 in.), and 1 pound lamb
shoulder cut in the same sized pieces.
Now we are ready to cook the pork and
lamb. Saute the diced pork in a heavy skillet
until brown. Remove the crisp, brown dice
and put aside. Drain the pan and brown the
pork and Iamb, adding pork fat as needed.
When the meat is richly browned - do a few
chunks at a time - place in a 4 -quart Dutch
Oven.
In the skillet just used add a bit of the pork.
fat and brown one cup and a bit of finely
chopped onion. Add 'A cup finely chopped
celery and one or two doves of garlic very
finely chopped. Cook for 2 minutes. Add a
cup of dry white wine and reduce by half.
Scrape all bits ane pieces that have stuck to
Green Gallery Designs
AUBURN, Ont.
A celebration of The Rural Life
in quiet, restful,
Ontario.
western
ONTARIO SCENIC MINTS
LITHOGRAPHED REPRODUCTIONS FROM
ORIGINAL DRAWINGS
(12" x 16" roody to tram( By J. A. Morlatt
Each packaged print on black or
coloured mat. Now contains a short
biography of the subject.
ilin.�dn ' ,*r.
445014 le
A selection of this series attractively
matted and framed, and hand
coloured is now available in a
limited edition form from the
artist's studio in Goderich.
ONTARIO SCENIC PRINTS
Are available in these Huron Gift Shop
*Henderson's *Squire's & *Anderson's - GODERICH
*The Calico School House-KINTAIL '
*The Woolen Shop *The Gallery *The Village Guild - all in BAYFIBLD
*Salmon's, the original old" mill in BLYTH
VILLAGE SQUIRE/OCTOBER 1975, 19