and the Underground Food Collective is my new favorite thing. What a good question you pose—let’s say that I am always seeking the new, deliberately placing myself in its path, and quite happy when it finds me.

Your underground food collective event looks fantastic–bustling, busy, and full of delicious food! Do you go looking for these events, or do they find you?

Solana, so glad you liked it. It was good to catch up, as always, and we’re all planning things for your return :)

Soak the beans (flageolets or Great Northern) for three hours (most recipes say two, go for the extra hour).

Dice 1 medium onion and 1/4 lb of guanciale, let them make friends for ten minutes over medium. Add the soaked beans, a lot of chopped thyme, 2.5 quarts of some combination of stock and water (up to you) and simmer for 45 minutes. Check occasionally and stir; add more liquid if it dries out. Then add the peeled cloves from a whole head of garlic (at least 10 fat cloves) and simmer for another 15 minutes. Salt, cool slightly, cover with foil and chill for 8 hours, overnight, or as long as you can.

Then, warm up the saucepan of beans (they will be stiff), cover the bottom of a large (13″ x 9″) baking dish with the beans. Add 1/4 lb bacon cut in 1″ pieces and 1/2 lb diced garlic sausage on top of the beans. Add four pieces of duck confit (and remove excess duck fat from the confit, save for later) on top (I like to have one for each guest, but 6 is probably the limit in one large baking dish).

350 degrees for 45 minutes (can go for an hour); it will bubble and smell thrillingly intense. Take the dish out of the oven, and crisp breadcrumbs in oil; scatter on top with chopped parsley when you plate.

I am so lucky to have slept in your kitchen. xoxox