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 ¹⁄₄" matchsticks

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium carrots

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 small leek, trimmed and sliced crosswise ¹⁄₂″ thick

³⁄₄ cup dry white wine

10 cups chicken stock

1 ¹⁄₂ 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 ¹⁄₂" 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 ¹⁄₂ 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.