Age old aphorisms about food (not to be mistaken with aphrodisiacs) all point towards the notion that food with history that’s made with heart are just better.
So, what goes into a dish? Other than the obvious being the ingredients, the remaining factor that notably levels up a dish is the heart that has gone into its creation.
We spoke to renowned FINO Seppeltsfield chef, Sam Smith about the thought and heart that goes into the dishes at FINO and he pointed us towards the cassoulet.
The month of August will see Sam’s cassoulet take centre stage as the winter warmer dish at FINO.
The French dish is made of braised white beans, confit pork and Toulouse sausage. However, the history of this cassoulet lies not in Languedoc but in Don Dunstan’s kitchen at Don’s Table Restaurant.
Don who mentored Sam in the late 90’s, was known to bring a cassoulet from home and serve it at the restaurant. After finishing his apprenticeship, Sam brought that recipe to FINO, when the restaurant was originally housed in Willunga.
The dish, now over 20 years old, has since changed, but not in an obvious way.
Sam tells me that what sets this cassoulet apart is that wherever it goes, the ingredients are sourced from the producers in the region.
Today’s iteration, in FINO Seppeltsfield, sources its pork from Shu-Am Pork for the Toulouse sausage, Slade Chickens and The Dairyman Heritage Pork for the confit.
It’s the quintessential regional dish, supporting local producers but also supporting the community mentality.
The Winter Warmers Cassoulet is on offer throughout August.
You can find FINO Seppeltsfield at 730 Seppeltsfield Rd, Seppeltsfield SA.
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