November 2026

Last month I shared a very modern cassoulet made with chicken and lentils. I could almost hear the French swearing at this recipe from across the channel; this French dish is traditionally made with pork and duck, never with chicken! So, this month I’m setting things right by sharing a cassoulet that is closer to the real thing. However, the ‘real thing’ is rather labour-intensive, so I’m sharing a recipe which is much quicker to prepare! Menu One is ‘Quick Cassoulet’. It’s a recipe from Nigel Slater that I found in a magazine many years ago and one which I return to every winter. Menu Two, ‘Lamb with Coconut & Black Pepper’, is another recipe I found flicking through a magazine that also appears on my cooking list at least once a year, usually around the same time I’m turning up the central heating. It’s a warming dish in which chunks of lamb are cooked in a tasty, very lightly spiced coconut sauce.

You’ll have these two delicious dishes on your table in just over half an hour; now that is a very heart-warming thought, and just what November deserves!..

Menu One

Quick Cassoulet (Serves 4)

Cassoulet is a wonderfully comforting dish, however, traditional recipes can be very labour-intensive. This is a fantastically simple version from Nigel Slater – you’ll have a steaming plate of this on your table in just over half an hour!..

4 plump spicy sausages, or 8 smaller ones (gluten-free if needed)

1 duck breast cut into thick slices

1 tablespoon olive oil

225g smoked bacon lardons

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon tomato purèe

55ml red wine

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 x 425g tin haricot or butter beans, drained

1 bayleaf

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

50g coarse beadcrumbs (optional)

Sea salt and black pepper

1. In a casserole, cook the sausages and duck in the olive oil until their fat runs and the sausages and duck fat are golden brown on all sides. Scoop out the sausages and duck and set aside.
2. Add the bacon lardons to the casserole and fry until golden then add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until they have slightly softened, then stir in the tomato purèe. Cook for another minute then pour in the red wine. Simmer for a minute, then stir in the tomatoes, the cooked sausages, and the duck.
3. Bring to the boil, then stir in the beans, bay leaf, mustard and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the casserole from the heat. You can serve straightaway or, if using, scatter over the breadcrumbs and place under a hot grill until golden, and then serve.

Menu Two

Lamb with Coconut and Black Pepper (Serves 4)

This is a wonderfully easy recipe; tender chunks of lamb are cooked in a tasty, very lightly spiced coconut sauce. Simply serve with rice.

740g cubed lamb

400ml tin coconut milk

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

4 tablespoons groundnut oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3cm piece ginger, peeled and finely shredded

4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped

1 rounded teaspoon ground turmeric

2 medium-sized hot red chillies, deseeded and chopped

15g fresh coriander, finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. In a dry frying pan, toast the coriander seeds over a moderate heat for a couple of minutes, until they are warm and fragrant. Remove from the heat and grind finely in a pestle and mortar. Repeat with the peppercorns but this time grinding coarsely.
2. Pour the oil into a casserole and warm over a high heat. Put in the cubes of lamb and brown lightly on all sides – you may need to do this in batches- then remove and set aside.
3. Add the onions, garlic and ginger to the pan, reduce the heat a cook, uncovered for 10-15minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir and leave to simmer until they have collapsed into the onion mixture.
4. Stir in the coriander seeds and peppercorns, turmeric, lamb and red chillies. Pour in the coconut milk, season with about a teaspoon of salt, stir and leave to simmer gently, covered, for about 30 minutes, until the lamb is just tender. Stir regularly.
5. Just before serving stir in the chopped fresh coriander and correct the seasoning with salt and black pepper. Serve with rice.