Soak l cup of dried white beans overnight. Drain them and put them
in a soup kettle with 3 or 4 peeled & halved potatoes, 2 onions, 2
or 3 carrots, scraped and cut in pieces, l white turnip, peeled and
quartered, a bouquet garni (thyme,bayleaf,parsley) and l mashed clov
e of garlic. Add 2 qts. of cold water, or enough generously to cover
the vegetables, and pepper. Bring the soup slowly to a boil, skim it
once or twice, then simmer it as slowly as possible for l-l/2 hrs.
Then add l young cabbage, cut into very thin strips and a l/2 lb.
piece of lean bacon.
In France the “garbure” always contains some sort of pork product or
in certain regions of the southwsest, preserved fat goose meat. You
may also use a l/2 lb. piece of lean salt pork first blanched for
4 mins. in boiling water to remove some of the salt; or a ham bone
with some meat on it; or a piece of good smoked sausage. After
adding the cabbage and pork, simmer the soup for another hour; taste
for seasoning. They say it should be “so thick a ladle will stand up
in it,” but add a little boiling water if it reduced too fast, or
cook it a little longer if it is not thick enough. Ladle the soup
into hot soup plates, over thin slices of toasted French bread. Slic
e the meat and serve it in the soup.
Serves 6 as a main course.