METHOD

1. Before beginning the recipe, soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water.
2. Drain them and wash them thoroughly under the cold tap until the water is crystal clear.
3. Put the drained and washed beans into a large pan. Cover them generously with fresh cold water, bring quickly up to a furious boil, then drain and rinse them again under the cold tap to get rid of the excess starch.
4. Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and throw in the panceta, vegetables, garlic and herbs, together with a large shot of black pepper – but no salt. Put the lid on and cook quickly, just to soften and colour everything a little.
5. Add the drained beans to the pot of vegetables and cover with enough cold water to clear the beans by 8–10cm. Put the lid on and bring to the boil. Spoon off any froth that comes to the top, then turn down the heat and cook half-covered very, very gently – the water should just tick over with the odd bubble on the surface – for as long as you can: preferably at least 3–4 hours, but really anything up to 12 hours. The beans are ready when they yield completely when you bite into them, and they will be enrobed in their own sauce – rich and delicate and full of character.
6. Now you can taste and season them with salt if necessary. The beans can be served just as they are, finished with some good extra virgin olive oil, or you could heat a little paprika in olive oil quickly in a small pan and stir it in.
7. If you like, once the beans and vegetables have come to the boil, instead of turning them down to a bare simmer on the hob, you could put the pot into a very low oven (120°C/gas 1⁄2) or even the slow oven of an Aga overnight.
8. You could also sprinkle the surface of the near-finished dish with breadcrumbs and bake at 180°C/gas 4 for 30 minutes, until the crumbs are golden and crunchy.
9. If you wish to cut out the long cooking time, you could use Navarrico Judión jarred beans and just warm them through with the panceta and vegetables before serving