Cassoulet is a basic recipe with a large number of local variations. The best known are the cassoulet of Castelnaudary, of Toulouse and of Carcassonne which are decribed here - but the basis of all cassoulets are the beans.
Prepartion of the beans
Wash the beans carefully and soak them at least overnight in cold water. Be careful to avoid to avoid using hard water. Rinse the beans, blanch them and rinse in warm water.

For 8 people - cooking time 4h

800 g white beans
800 g pork backbone
8 slices of breast of pork
200 g fresh pork rind
1 garlic sausage
2 soupspoons of lard
2 salted pork hocks
250 g tomatoes
3 onions studded with cloves
200 g of carrots
1 bouquet garni
ground pepper

 *A "cassole" is an earthenware pot in which you can simmer on a low heat and put it in the oven for browning. It is the orgin of the term cassoulet. It corresponds roughly to the English word "casserole".

In a large casserole, heat the lard with the tomatoes, diced pork breast and sliced carrots. When this is cooked, put the beans on top and cover with two litres of water, add the bouquet garni, garlic, pepper, onions, pork rind, the backbone, les oignons, the pork hock (which you would have desalted) and the other meat. Cook over a low heat for at least two hours.
In the casserole is not ovenproof, transfer the whole of this into a "cassole*", or an deep earthenware pot. Spread the meat over the surface and add thick slices of garlic sausage.
Put the dish into a warm oven. When it is covered with a brown crust push this into the beans with a wooden spatula. (Repeat this six times in all during the cooking). Cook in the oven for at least two hours. This long and delicate process is the essential part of the preparation of an excellent cassoulet.

Same method and same ingredients as the cassoulet from Castelnaudary except that after one hour's cooking add 200 g of neck of mutton, 200 g of mutton from the gigot. Before putting it in the oven add a pork rind sausage and four pieces of duck confit (remove the preserving fat). Finally put several Toulouse sausages on the surface and sprinkle liberally with breakcrumbs. Cook in the oven as described above.

Same method and same ingredients as the cassoulet from Toulouse but add twice as much mutton and replace the duck confit with a plucked and emptied red-legged partridge. Omit the Toulouse sausage and the breadcrumbs.