GarbureFrench cabbage and bean soup

• 250 g9 oz (1 1/3 cups) dried white beans: haricots tarbais, lingots or coco, soaked overnight in cold water
• 1 (about 600 g)1 (about 1.3 lb) jambonneau or crosse de jambon (ham hock or the knuckle end of a Bayonne-style ham)
• 250 g9 oz ventrèche (cured pork belly) or unsmoked pancetta, in one piece
• 3 L3 qt water
• 2 onions, one studded with a clove, one chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 3 carrots, in chunks
• 2 turnips, peeled, in chunks
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley, a celery stalk)
• 1 pinch piment d'Espelette, or 1 small dried chilli
• 10 black peppercorns
• 500 g1.1 lb waxy or all-purpose potatoes, peeled, in large chunks
• 1 (about 1 kg)1 (about 2.2 lb) green or savoy cabbage, cored, cut in wide strips
• 3 confit duck legs (or 2 pieces of confit goose), with a spoonful of their fat
• 6 slices stale country bread (pain de campagne), thinly sliced or toasted
• salt, to taste, at the end

Method

1. 1

   1. The day before, put the beans to soak in plenty of cold water.

2. 2

   2. Put the ham hock and the ventrèche in a large pot of cold water, bring to the boil, drain and rinse them; this removes excess salt and scum.

3. 3

   3. Return the meats to the clean pot (ideally earthenware or cast iron) with the 3 L (3 qt) of water and bring to a simmer; cook very gently, covered, for 1 hour.

4. 4

   4. Add the drained beans, both onions, the garlic, leeks, carrots, turnips, bouquet garni, piment d'Espelette and peppercorns. Do not salt yet.

5. 5

   5. Bring back to a simmer and cook gently, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beans are just tender.

6. 6

   6. Meanwhile, blanch the cabbage strips in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain them; this softens their sharp taste.

7. 7

   7. Add the potatoes and cabbage to the pot and simmer for 30–40 minutes more, until the cabbage is meltingly soft and the potatoes are cooked through.

8. 8

   8. Add the confit legs with a spoonful of their fat and simmer for 15 minutes, just until heated through.

9. 9

   9. Remove the bouquet garni and the clove-studded onion. Lift out the meats, take the ham off the bone and cut all the meats into serving pieces.

10. 10

    10. Taste the broth and add salt only if needed. The garbure should be thick enough for a ladle to almost stand in it.

11. 11

    11. Put a slice of bread in each deep bowl and ladle the broth and vegetables over it; serve the meats on a separate platter, or in the bowls if you prefer.