Aging Disgracefully

Soak some flageolet beans (I usually use Cassoulets USA brand) for at least 30 hours (I usually make this in a 9 1/2 quart LeCreuset so we use up to 2.5 or more pounds of beans, but less will yield a less starchy soup and more a more starchy one).* Place the beans in a 9-10 quart cast iron or, better yet, cast iron enamel, oven (such as our Le Creuset soup pan) with a tomato (big and ripe), a big white or yellow onion (sliced in two) and a large green bell pepper (sliced in two and seeded). Just cover the beans and other ingredients with water and let simmer low for several hours, until the beans are just releasing starch and the vegetables are disintegrating (the peppers will be mostly disintegrated). Stir frequently (every 10-15 minutes) as it simmers (one must stir this frequently because as the beans give up minute amounts of starch they can burn to the bottom of the pan easily). Remove the vegetables carefully, trying not to lose any tomato seeds into the broth. Reduce heat to an extremely low simmer. Add in a 1 to 1 1/2 lb. roll of pancetta (it should come from the store as a 2" thick roll and you should unroll and cut it into 2" chunks before tossing into the soup).** After an hour or more add in some sausages (we use 1 pound or so of sweet Italians or something similar, but you can use any milder pork sausage; never use hot sausages). Cook slowly (stirring) until the meat is done (the pancetta should start to turn very tender).

You can refrigerate the soup for one day (it tastes better in certain respects the second day, after flavors have mingled a bit and concentrated in the fridge). Reheat slowly. To serve, ladle each person a piece or two of pancetta, a sauasage, some beans and broth. Serve with some lightly grilled bread slices (I usually anoint them with olive oil, salt and a spreading of garlic cloves simmered tender in olive oil). Invite some friends over and serve with some weapons grade red Rioja.

This soup is a simple treasure, and has become one of our little holiday rituals.

*One of the advantages of soaking so long is to remove guesswork: after so many hours the beans will be around the zenith of their volume. Do not be afraid to add them in somewhat aggressively: the tomato, pepper, etc. initially takes up a greater volume than the eventual sausages and pancetta will. Furthermore, you can always remove beans down the road if it looks as if you have too many.
**Do not add allot of salt and pepper to this soup. The pancetta will already introduce allot. If you are dissatisfied with the results, add to taste only in the last half hour of cooking (when the impact of the pancetta and sausages will be clear). Otherwise it is easy to overshoot with this dish.