Aging Disgracefully

Soak some flageolet beans (I usually use Cassoulets USA brand) for at least 40 hours (I usually soak 1 1/2 pounds and then withdraw beans later if they expand too much during cooking: it is always better to err by including too many than too few beans at the start). Place in a Le Creuset cast-iron enamel soup pan (or its equivalent) with a tomato, onion and a green bell pepper (sliced in two and seeded). Cover with water and let simmer low for several (up to 4) hours, until the beans are releasing starch and the vegetables are disintegrating (the peppers will be mostly disintegrated). Stir frequently (one must stir frequently throughout this dish). 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 1/4 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 (use sweet Italians or something similar; never use hot sausages). Cook 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 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 bread (toasted, or bruschetta style). However, do not make allot of this and try to string it out over many days: after soaking in the broth for a while, the beans begin to become really overly mushy.

*Be careful not to use an end slice of pancetta: this will lead to too much pepper in the soup since a 2" end slice is much more covered with spices than a 2" interior slice.