This recipe is a delightful twist on the classic cassoulet, featuring the bold flavours of merguez sausage, harissa, tomatoes, and white beans, all topped with a zesty lemony yogurt and spicy zhug sauce.
If you’re not familiar with zhug, it’s a Middle Eastern condiment made from fresh herbs and spices, creating a punchy and aromatic flavour profile.
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Contributor’s note:
“This is a super easy but really flavourful one pot dish, made up of merguez sausage, harissa, tomatoes, and white beans, topped with a lemony yoghurt and spicy zhug. Don’t worry if you can’t find merguez, you can also use chorizo or your favourite sausage!”
Zhug sauce:
Zhug, a Middle Eastern condiment originating from Yemen, is a fiery and herbaceous sauce that’s been gaining global popularity. It’s crafted from fresh herbs like coriander (cilantro) and parsley, combined with garlic, green chili peppers, cumin, lemon juice, and olive oil. This vibrant blend creates a versatile sauce that adds heat and herbaceous brightness to dishes. Zhug works as a dip for bread, a topping for grilled items, a condiment for sandwiches, or a flavourful marinade.
Recipe Card
Merguez and white bean cassoulet with zhug
Ingredients
For the Cassoulet:
- 4 Merguez sausages or your preferred sausage
- 5 Cherry tomatoes halved
- 3 tablespoons Harissa paste
- 1 Red chili finely chopped
- 50 grams Black olives halved
- 250 ml Beef stock
- 400 grams Chopped tomatoes
- 1 x 700g jar of Bold Bean Co Organic White Beans or 2 x 400g tins of haricot or cannellini beans
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 3 Garlic cloves grated
- 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
For the Yogurt:
- 2 heaped tablespoons Natural yogurt
- A large pinch of za’atar
- 1 Lemon juiced
- 1 Garlic clove grated
For the Zhug:
- A handful of parsley roughly chopped
- A handful of coriander roughly chopped
- 1 Green chili finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 1 Lemon juiced
- Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180℃. Begin by browning your sausages in an oven-safe pan with a dash of oil over high heat. No need to cook them through; the oven will handle that. Once they have a lovely brown crust, remove them from the pan. You can slice or leave them whole, as you prefer. Set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced onion to the same pan along with a knob of butter. When the onions start to soften, add your garlic and chopped chili. Cook until fragrant, then add paprika, tomato paste, and harissa paste. Cook for a few minutes until everything caramelises and darkens.
- Incorporate cherry tomatoes and canned tomatoes along with the stock. Stir well, then add olives and drained white beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Nestle your sausages back into the pan, then place it in the oven for 30 minutes or until the sausages are fully cooked.
- While the cassoulet is baking, prepare your sauces. To make zhug, add parsley, coriander, chili, cumin, ground coriander, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar to a food processor or blender. Pulse until everything becomes smooth and well combined. Adjust the texture by adding olive oil to your preference. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
- In a small bowl or jug, combine yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, za’atar, salt, and pepper.
- Once the sausages are cooked, remove the pan from the oven. Drizzle over zhug and yogurt, then serve with crusty bread and lemon wedges.
Recipe courtesy of Bold Bean Co., originally posted by @Spencooks.
Bold Bean Co:
Bean Co’s is certified by Soil Association certification and won a BOOM Award, demonstrating their commitment to sustainable organic food. The BOOM Awards recognise quality organic products that align with nature’s principles. Bean Co also participates in Organic September to promote organic products and their benefits.
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