Note: This recipe works best with home-made stock. If you are short of time, you can use quality store-bought chicken stock. Also, to give the eggs a truffle aroma, store them with the truffles in an air-tight container for 48 hours before cooking.
To make the chicken stock – place all the ingredients into a pot and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 4-6 hours. Strain the liquid into a container and set aside.
To make cassoulet – preheat an oven to 130°C. Place the vegetables into a casserole dish with the stock, beans, pork, sage and spices. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 4-6 hours, or until the pork hock is falling apart. Remove the hock from the dish and pull away the meat and discard the skin and bones. Break up the meat, place it back into the dish, combine with the vegetables and beans and season to taste.
Meanwhile – pulse the bread and parsley together in a food processor. Spread the mix onto a lined oven tray and bake for 15 minutes at 180°C or until dry and crisp.
To serve – spoon some cassoulet into each bowl and serve with poached or fried eggs, breadcrumbs, radish and freshly shaved black truffle.
chicken stock
3L water
3 chicken carcasses, roasted
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 leek, chopped
300ml white wine
1 pinch each white peppercorn, coriander seeds & fennel seeds, toasted
cassoulet
2L chicken stock
200g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in water
2 pork hocks, skin on
1 leek, diced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 sticks celery, diced
½ bunch sage
1 pinch each black peppercorns, coriander seeds & fennel seeds, toasted & ground
to serve
¼ loaf stale bread
½ bunch parsley
3 watermelon radishes, thinly sliced
4 eggs
fresh black truffle