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Serves
2 as a main dish, 4 as a side
Author Notes
I'm always ready for fall. I love the crisp weather, color change, football, and the re-emergence of comforting stews and soups. This was my dinner last night from my weekend farmers market haul, served with an end-of-summer white wine, and eaten on the porch with a blanket in my lap. Enjoy! —Emily | Cinnamon&Citrus
Test Kitchen Notes
WHO: Emily | Cinnamon&Citrus is a physician living in Cleveland, Ohio.
WHAT: An inventive, one-pot meal for winter vegetables.
HOW: Sauté vegetables and herbs in butter in a large sauté pan until cooked. Add milk, additional butter, and flour to make a creamy roux to coat the vegetables, then add beans. Top with garlicky bread crumbs.
WHY WE LOVE IT: As Emily says, this is the perfect meal for fall—it's simple to pull together, makes use of some of our favorite fall produce, and is designed to be eaten from a bowl on a chilly evening. If you need us, we'll be enjoying it outside with a blanket and a bottle of white wine—its bright colors will blend right in with the foliage. —The Editors
Ingredients
- For the cassoulet:
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4 tablespoons
butter, divided
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1
medium onion, diced
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1
large carrot, diced
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3
ribs celery, diced
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1/2 teaspoon
salt
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2 turns (about 1/8 teaspoon) freshly grated nutmeg
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1
bunch golden beets (about 5 medium-sized beets), peeled, trimmed of roots and stems, cut into 3/4-inch dice, greens reserved
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1/4 teaspoon
white pepper
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2
bay leaves
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1/2 teaspoon
celery seed
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Leaves from 5 sprigs of thyme
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2
cloves garlic, minced
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2 tablespoons
all-purpose flour
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1 cup
milk
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Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
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2
whole cloves
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one
15-ounce can cannellini beans
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1/4 cup
dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
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Reserved beet greens, ribs removed, washed and chopped
- For the garlic breadcrumbs:
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2 tablespoons
butter
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1
clove garlic, minced
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1 cup
fresh, white bread crumbs
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Pinch of salt and white pepper
Directions
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Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a large, heavy bottomed Dutch oven with a lid. Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery with salt, white pepper, bay, celery seed, and thyme, until the vegetables are soft and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the golden beet root (set greens aside for later in the process) and continue to cook 3 to 5 minutes additional minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 minute.
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Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the mixture and allow to melt before adding the flour. Stir and cook the flour 2 minutes. Add the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, and scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of your pot. Season with fresh nutmeg and add the cloves. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes at a low simmer until the milk has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. At this point you can remove the cloves (unless you think you can still find them once the beans have been added!)
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Add the cannellini beans, then Add your white wine and the reserved beet greens, and stir to combine. Cover the pot with a lid and let the beet greens wilt, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
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While the greens are wilting, make the garlic breadcrumbs: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with one clove of minced garlic in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toss the breadcrumbs in the butter and salt and pepper, and stir constantly until brown and toasty. Serve the cassoulet in bowls topped with the garlicky bread crumbs.
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