Garbure - a Rustic Stew from South West France
A Winter Warmer Soup Recipe from the Gascon Peasants
Dec 8, 2008
If France is a land of gourmets then the South West is a land of rustic culinary delight. This rural area, spreading from the rolling hills of Gascony in the north to the high mountain plateaus in the south has a culinary tradition based on the land; a land that is simple, wholesome and rich. The staples produced here are beans, pork and goose and the Garbure combines all of them in a strong satisfying dish.
Traditional Garbure is a thick creamy soup or stew steaming with cabbage, turnips, potatoes and onions, with a rich body of haricot beans, salt pork and confit (potted duck or goose meat) lightly seasoned with garlic and parsley.
The official Garbure definition, according to Larousse Gastronomique, is a Bearnaise soup with cabbage and confit, but there are many local variations. In the mountains they add cured ham, in the fertile valleys they add carrots,leeks and peas. Whatever the regional variations they all agree on one thing: whilst preparation time is short, cooking time is long and must not be rushed. Anything between 2 and 4hrs is acceptable. Don’t be put off by the length of cooking time as after the first 30 mins the stew must simply be left to simmer and does not need tending in any way.
Garbure might be technically termed a soup but it is not for the feint hearted. It is wholesome and hearty and great for those on a budget with a large crowd to feed. As a meal in itself the only accompaniment needed is a glass of full-bodied vin charpenté ‘woody’ red wine – the locals prefer Madiran or a full bodied Bordeaux
Traditional Garbure Recipe:
Serves 4-6 people
Prep time 30 mins (beans need to be soaked for 12hrs in advance)
Cook time: 2hrs
Ingredients:
- 1 small green cabbage
- 1 bunch of pearl onions
- 4 potatoes
- 4 small turnips
- 1 red pepper
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1 ham bone
- 150g of lightly salted bacon
- 4 chunky slices of dried sausage
- 500g of dried Haricots Tarbais (white beans)
- 4 pieces of preserved goose (confit d’oie) wings or thighs
- 4 slices of day old Crusty Bread.
Preparation:
- 12 hours in advance soak the dried haricots according to the packet instructions. You can use tinned pre-prepared beans but be sure not to add them until 15 minutes before the end of cooking time to prevent disintegration.
- Cut the cabbage into quarters shred the leaves and blanch in boiling water. Set aside.
- Peel the onions, turnips, pepper and potatoes and cut into rough chunks. Peel and crush the garlic.
Method:
- Heat two knobs of goose fat from the confit in a saucepan and gently fry the onions for 5 minutes.
- Add the turnips, potatoes, pepper, bouquet garni and ham bone.
- Season* and add 2 litres of cold water.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 mins.
- Add the bacon, sausage, beans, confit, cabbage and garlic and cook for a further 1hr30 mins.
- 10 minutes before serving discard the ham bone and bouquet garni.
*beware of adding too much salt as the meat will already be well salted.
To serve: Lay a thick slice of well grilled pain de campagne (crusty bread) in the bottom of the bowl and pour the hot soup over it. In Gascony there is also a fine local tradition of tipping a glass of wine into the dregs of your bowl and stirring. Not only does it make the soup go further but it tastes delicious.
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