Does any other recipe make better use of beans? Possibly Feijoada. Tough call between very good Cassoulet and a very good Feijoada.
https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/roast-duck-legs-cannellini-bean-cassoulet
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saw this here - just wanted to add - Ive made the Wolfert recipe and it is truly spectacular and not arduous when you take it step by step. Really unmatched amalgam of flavors and textures. My guests swooned. Not to say something simpler and good can be made.
I like feijoada very much, but the ones Ive had have not been on the same level. There are some very good stewed bean dishes across the mediterranean basin from portugal to turkey - for that matter.
Another delicious but less complicated one from Wolfert’s Southwest France - Glandoulat, red beans with pork and carrots, cooked with red wine. Thanks for reviving this thread - I think I will cook it this weekend!
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As ever, Felicity Cloake is a good read.
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I had a Brazilian feijoada last week from a hole in the wall in Toronto, and it was one of the best braised meat and beans I’ve tasted. Better than Brazilian feijoada I’ve tried in NYC, and better than what I have made at home.
I haven’t made Wolfert’s cassoulet yet. I have mostly ordered or purchased cassoulet.
I added some Mozambican, East Timorean and Macanese feijoada links in the Beans, beans, beans thread
The north of Spain prides itself on its braised beans and meats, too. I tried around a dozen versions over a weeklong visit. I was tired of beans by the end of that week!
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Thank you for mentioning Glandoulat.
I’m adding a link to this blog’s adaptation, to give a general idea, since the various links to the official Wolfert recipes are behind paywalls.
+1, I was just going to mention the effect of salt on beans
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There was quite a bit of testing done by one of the cooking mags (dont remember which)
Salting beans while soaking oe cooking produces better flavor but doesnt affect them softening.
Acid, however - even what seems to be a tiny amount - will keep them hard as rocks forever.
My own experience supports this…i don’t add ketchup, molasses, any tomato products at all until the beans are soft, as Ill have a slow cooker full of pebbles.
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This is my Goosoulet. I used about 2 cups of Christmas goose, a pork chop from Xmas morning, goose stock, cooked white beans, and followed the seasoning fairly closely from Paula Wolfert’s Toulouse-style cassoulet (one onion, 3 carrots, garlic, celery, thyme, bay leaf, a plum tomato and parsley). Panko on top. I did have more veg: less beans: less meat than her recipe.
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That Glandoulat recipe has the beans cooked in red wine. They do soften - but its best to use new beans!
I believe both Serious Eats and Cooks Illustrated 
brining dried beans. Me too. 
Yay! Brown thumbs !
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D’Artagnan’s annual Cassoulet Wars just took place in NYC. #cassouletwars or #cassouletwars2023 on IG, Twitter or FB will yield some results!
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Last week I made my first cassoulet using a 2-4 D’Artagnan kit. It was very, very good and everything came out perfectly. But it made enough for 12-14 (at this stage in life my wife and I are small eaters), so we have tons in the freezer.
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Tons of cassoulet in the freezer sounds like a feature, not a bug!
I used to cook stews in a 6 quart stock pot and freeze them in Tupperware containers with 14 ounce servings. When I decided I needed to lose weight, I refused to quit cooking rich foods, but I started freezing my stews in 12 ounce portions.
I imagine you can figure out how well THAT worked out.
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Agreed. Once I started “brining” Beans there was no going back. The results were not short of great!
Just one of the many sources:
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