Confit de canard aux haricots (Preserved duck with beans)

Ingredients

• 1 pound Michigan pea or navy beans
• 8 cups water
• Salt to taste
• if desired
• 1 whole onion
• about 1/4 pound
• peeled and stuck with
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 whole carrot
• about 1/4 pound
• trimmed and scraped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 pound lean salt pork
• 2 preserved ducks
• cut into serving pieces
• cooked and browned as indicated in the original recipe
• 1/4 cup duck fat from duck confit (see recipe)
• 2 cups finely chopped onions
• 1 3/4 cups chopped canned tomatoes with liquid
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Pick over the beans, if necessary, to remove any foreign particles.
2. Put the beans in a kettle and add cold water to cover about one inch above the top of the beans.
3. Bring to the boil and let simmer about two minutes.
4. Drain.
5. Return the beans to the kettle and add eight cups of water and salt to taste.
6. Add the onion with the cloves, bay leaf, carrot, thyme and salt pork.
7. Bring to the boil and let simmer one to one and onequarter hours or until beans are tender.
8. Remove and reserve the salt pork, carrot and onion.
9. Discard the cloves.
10. Brown the duck pieces as indicated in the original recipe and set aside.
11. Meanwhile, heat the duck fat in a saucepan and add the chopped onions.
12. Cook, stirring, until wilted.
13. Add the tomatoes and cook about 15 minutes.
14. Add the tomato mixture to the beans.
15. Cut the salt pork, carrot and whole onion into small cubes.
16. Add this to the beans and tomatoes.
17. Stir and cook about 10 minutes.
18. Add the parsley.
19. Serve the beans with the hot, preserved duck pieces.