Sausage, kale and flageolet cassoulet

Not a true cassoulet, but a variation on the pig'n'beans theme. This is one of my favourite slow-cooks: definitely rustic, but the flageolets give it a touch of class. Serves 4 200g dried flageolet beans or 2 tins cooked flageolets 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 500g sausages (cumberland or toulouse), cut into 2.5cm chunks 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 heaped tbsp rosemary, finely chopped 1 large or 2 small red onions, cut into large chunks 800ml chicken stock 75ml double cream 300g kale (woody stalks removed), chopped into 5cm pieces Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped 1 If you're using dried beans, soak the flageolets overnight in cold water, then drain, cover with fresh water and cook until tender but still holding their shape. This will take anything from 1-2 hours. 2 Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based casserole dish and fry the sausage pieces until golden brown. 3 Add the garlic and rosemary, then turn down the heat and stir in the onions. 4 Cover with a lid and cook gently for 15 minutes until the onions are soft and lightly browning, giving the occasional stir. 5 Pour in the chicken stock, add the cooked, drained beans and season. 6 Bring to a relaxed simmer and cook for around 20 minutes, skimming as necessary. 7 Stir in the cream and kale and mix well, then simmer for 10 minutes with a lid on and another 10 minutes without. 8 Adjust the seasoning and finish with the chopped parsley. • Adapted from a recipe that first appeared in Leon: Ingredients and Recipes (Conran Octopus, 2008)