Recipe from the Confraternity of Toulouse Cassoulet — traditional “Moustache” style

Cooked as close as possible to the original recipe

In the spirit of the Confraternity of Toulouse Cassoulet, founded on April 7, 2022, we affirm our commitment to honoring their rigorous charter, promoting a local and authentic version of this great Occitan dish.

To justify their dedication to this version, the Confraternity quotes the adage of the great chef Prosper Montagné:
“Castelnaudary is the father, Carcassonne the son, and Toulouse the Holy Spirit.”

Guy Pressenda, known as “Moustache,” having himself been inducted by the Confraternity of Castelnaudary, thus recalls the sacred bond between these three terroirs.

This Toulouse-style version clearly stands apart from its Aude and Carcassonne counterparts:

• No tomato paste, lamb, or breadcrumbs, unlike some variants

• Emphasis is placed on local products: Lingots beans from Lauragais, duck confit, Toulouse sausage, Southwest pork, Cadours garlic—all in line with the charter’s requirements

These principles—respect for the terroirs, rigorous selection of ingredients, ancestral cooking methods, and confraternal cromagnonism—anchor our cassoulet in the most authentic Toulouse tradition.

Major differences between the region’s cassoulets

Confraternity recipes: essential requirements

Confraternity of Castelnaudary

• Lingots beans from Lauragais

• Farm-raised pork (shank, rind), pork sausage, goose or duck confit

• Slow cooking in an earthenware cassole with the crust broken several times

• Tomato paste allowed

Confraternity of Toulouse

• Lingots or Tarbais beans (label Rouge)

• Farm-raised duck confit, artisanal Toulouse sausage, Gascon or Basque pork

• No tomato paste, lamb, or breadcrumbs

• Local aromatics: Cadours garlic, Toulouges red onions, lemon thyme

• Slow cooking in a cassole, light broth, strict respect for the terroirs

Confraternity of Carcassonne

• Tarbais or Lingots beans, sometimes lamb

• Confits, local sausage

• More flexible recipe, following family traditions

Confraternity of Toulouse Cassoulet recipe

Ingredients for 4 servings

Beans and broth

• 500 g dried white beans “Lingots du Lauragais” or “Tarbais beans” (label Rouge)

• 1 farm-raised pork trot (Southwest France)

• 250 g pork rind (half for cooking, half for lining the dish)

• 1 carcass of free-range poultry from Occitanie (Label Rouge) or pork bones

• 1 Saint-Jean carrot from Tarn or Aveyron—sweet and firm

• 2 Toulouges red onions—add subtle aroma

• 1 local celery stalk

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 sprig of lemon thyme

• 3 tsp goose fat (from Occitanie)

• Salt from Salies-de-Béarn or fleur de sel

• Black pepper (fresh or Kampot)

Meats

• 4 duck legs confit from southwest France (Label Rouge)
  — Quality producers: Canards des Landes, Ferme de Poudenx, Label Rouge Southwest Duck, Ferme de Samatan

• 300 g Red Label “Porc Noir de Bigorre” pork ribs

• 4 cuts of farm pork (shank, shoulder, or belly)—50 g each (Gascon or Basque)

• 500 g artisanal Toulouse sausage
  — Respected producers: Maison Escudier, Maison Barraqué, Maison Clément, Les Salaisons du Sud-Ouest

• 150 g diced Lacaune ham (AOP)

• 4 fresh garlic cloves, crushed

Cooking liquid

• About 1 liter homemade poultry or vegetable broth

Preparation

The day before: soaking the beans
Rinse and soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight.

On the day:

1. Cook the beans
   Drain, place in cold water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Make the aromatic broth
   In a large pot, melt goose fat. Gently sauté onions and ham cubes. Add the carcass (or bones), pork trot, vegetables, half the rind, thyme, and bay leaf. Add about 1 liter water. Simmer for 1 hour. Strain the broth and reserve the rind.

3. Simmer the beans
   Return beans to strained broth. Cook gently until tender but still firm (approx. 1 hour).

4. Prepare the meats
   Brown pork cuts in goose fat until golden; set aside. Brown Toulouse sausage, then duck legs at low heat (not to dry them out).

5. Flavor the beans
   Drain beans, saving the broth. Stir in crushed garlic and ham cubes.

Assembling in the cassole

1. Preheat oven to 150 °C (300 °F).

2. Line bottom with pork rind pieces.

3. Add one-third of the beans.

4. Layer in pork cuts and duck legs.

5. Cover with remaining beans.

6. Press sausages into the dish, leaving ends visible.

7. Pour hot broth until beans are just covered.

8. Dot with goose fat and season with pepper.

Long cooking
Bake for 2½ to 3 hours at 150 °C. Break the golden crust once or twice, basting with broth as needed.

Rest and serve
Let stand 10–15 minutes. Serve hot in the cassole, without mixing layers. Pair with a red wine from Southwest France (Fronton, Cahors, Madiran).

Tips for beginners

• Don’t salt the beans at the start to avoid hardness

• Cooking in a cassole ensures authentic flavor and even cooking

• Cassoulet tastes better reheated—prepare a day ahead

• Keep extra hot broth handy so it doesn’t dry out during cooking