La Garbure

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 150 g white beans
• 1 bunch of bouquet garni
• 1 onion(s)
• 2 cloves for larding the onion
• 1 part(s) of duck (leg, wing or any other part thereof)
• 1 pork knuckle(s), cured
• salt and pepper
• 1 kg potatoes, roughly diced
• 3 turnips, roughly diced
• 1 small savoy cabbage, cut into eighths
• 5 large carrots, roughly diced
• 2 onions, diced
• 6 cloves garlic
• nutmeg
• 8 slice(s) farmer’s bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

Bean stew from Gascony

Soak the beans overnight, discarding the soaking water. Add 3 liters of water, the bouquet garni, the larded onion, the duck, and the pork knuckle, and simmer for a good hour. Then season with salt and pepper and add the remaining vegetables. Cook for 20-30 minutes, season to taste, and add nutmeg. Place the toasted farmhouse bread in deep plates, pour the stew over it, and enjoy. We often prepare the stew without the meat. A variation that’s just as delicious as the meat version.