Garbure (French Cabbage and Bean Soup)

Recently, one of my followers mentioned making garbure.  I had not heard of it so I immediately looked it up and knew I had to make it.  YUM!
First I fried some lardons of bacon.

And I reheated some duck confit so I could easily remove the skin and shred the meat.

Drain the lardons on paper towels.

Ingredients

 2 legs duck confit
6 oz. slab bacon, sliced into 14" matchsticks
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small leek, trimmed and sliced crosswise 12″ thick
34 cup dry white wine
10 cups chicken stock
1 12 cups dried white beans,  soaked overnight and drained
2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
3 cloves
1 tsp. dried juniper berries
3 sprigs parsley
3 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
2 bay leaves
Cheesecloth, for herbs
1 small head Savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
8 fingerling potatoes sliced into coins
1 parsnip, sliced into coins
1 large turnip, peeled and cut into 12" pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Country bread, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Heat duck legs in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, flipping once, until fat is rendered and meat is tender, 10–12 minutes. Transfer legs to a cutting board; let cool, then shred meat, discarding skin and bones. Add bacon to pan; cook until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 5–7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a bowl. Add garlic, carrots, onion, and leek; cook until golden, about 7 minutes. Add wine; boil. Cook until reduced by half, 2–3 minutes. Add stock and beans; return to a boil. Place peppercorns, juniper, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves on a piece of cheesecloth; tie into a tight package and add to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, slightly covered, until beans are very tender, 1–1 12 hours. Uncover and stir in cabbage, potato, turnip, salt, and pepper; cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in reserved duck and bacon; cook 5 minutes more. Discard herbs, and ladle soup into bowls; serve with bread, if you like.
It takes a good 2 hours for the beans to cook after soaking them overnight.


Some garbure recipes call for ham so I added ham too.


Add the lardons back to the soup.

I served this with my rosemary bread and it was perfect for a rainy, cold day.  This is going to be a regular around here this winter.

Comments

Beans AND cabbage? Wind alert!
Anonymous said…
Even though I like both cabbage and beans my stomach would most likely say it's too much to have both in one meal :-) Sounds delicious though!

I baked the first bread for this autumn today but in the electric stove. Turned out quite tasty :-)

Have a great day!

Christer.

https://thecottagebythecranelakefour.wordpress.com
Susan said…
Well, thank goD I can finally use my duck confit! :) Actually, I'd rather use yours. When's dinner?
Guillaume said…
Sounds like grabuge (mess).
greekwitch said…
I generally dislike soups but for some reason this sounds fantastic!! Bacon, cabbage and beans are some of my favorite foods!! Excellent idea. My husband is under the weather so maybe tomorrow I will make some!!
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