12296 Serves 4 to 6 Wed Aug 06 01:03:11 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 04 07:45:51 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12296 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:45:51 GMT I asked chef Martin Etchemaite, from the Basque country town of Larrau, to tell me the secret of his very famous bean soup. He confirmed that the thin-skinned, sweet-tasting, buttery textured Tarbais bean is the key. (As its French name—haricot de maïs—indicates, it is a climbing variety that grows up stalks of corn.) But that wasn't all: “Duck fat is essential, too, because it adds depth,” he told me, and then he went on to extol the Basque paprika, called piment d'Espelette, without which, he said, the cooking would not be properly made. So here it is: a Basque version of a bean and chile soup—a stunning and wonderful soup for winter.

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1 Pick over the beans and soak them in water to cover by at least 2 inches for 12 hours.

The following day, rinse and drain the beans and set aside. Meanwhile, in a heavy, 4- to 5-quart flameproof pot, preferably earthenware, such as a Yankee bean pot or a Chinese sand pot, gently cook the carrots and onions in 2 tablespoons of the duck fat, stirring, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Scoop out and reserve about ¼ cup of the onions and carrots. Add the drained beans and 2 quarts fresh water to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to moderately low, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and simmer for 2 hours, or until the beans are tender and the liquid is reduced.

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining duck fat. Add the diced bread, slivered ventrèche, and the reserved carrots and onions. Fry, stirring, until crisp. Remove to a side dish, add the chives, and set aside.

Let the beans cool slightly, scoop out about ⅓ cup for garnish and set aside. Press batches of the remaining beans and liquid through the fine blade of a food mill or puree in a food processor or blender. Add the bean puree to the soup. Stir in the cream; bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Correct the seasoning with salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.

To serve, divide the reserved beans among soup bowls, ladle the hot soup over the beans, and garnish each portion with a spoonful mixture of the fried onion and ventrèche mixture. Serve at once.

]]> http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 1 pound dried Tarbais beans or large white beans, such as cannellini

]]> 1 carrot, cut into ¼-inch dice

]]> 1 large onion, cut into ¼-inch dice

]]> 4 tablespoons duck fat

]]> Salt and freshly ground pepper

]]> 1 cup diced crustless dense country bread

]]> 3 ounces lean ventrèche, pancetta, jambon de Bayonne, or Serrano ham, slivered (about ½ cup)

]]> 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

]]> 1 cup heavy cream

]]> Pinches of piment d'Espelette or moderately hot red pepper

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