Garbure

Method

1. The night before, put 50 g of dried Tarbais beans in a bowl, cover generously with cold water and leave to soak for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking.
2. Chop 30 g of onion, slice 50 g of leek into 1 cm half-moons, dice 50 g of carrot and chop 1 clove of garlic. Melt 1 tsp of duck fat in a small heavy casserole over a low heat and sweat the vegetables for 5 minutes without colouring, until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the drained beans, 25 g of ventrèche in one piece, 1 bouquet garni and 600 ml of cold water. Bring to a bare simmer, skim the grey foam, cover and cook very gently for 60 minutes, until the beans are tender but still whole. Do not salt yet — salt at this stage toughens the skins.