Tour de France '20 - Stage 9: Pau to Laruns
Another day in Gascony, and a start from one of the Tour de France regulars: Pau. I was up early and started a peasant loaf as I watched the cyclists exit this historical town, up into the Pyrénées and some foul conditions. Pau is located in the heart of Béarn, the birthplace of the namesake Garbure Béarnaise and combined with the foggy, foul weather, a perfect amalgam for this knockout soup. I'd like to imagine the riders that day were dreaming of this soul-warming and revitalizing concoction as they stormed through the fog and drizzle. It is amazing how a slow and steady braise of ham hocks and root vegetables can transform 3 quarts of pure water into this simple, yet robust, and deeply satisfying dish. The result left me hanging in anticipation of what new dishes would come after the scheduled rest day.
Garbure Béarnaise
1 lb smoked slab bacon (this is a large, unsliced slab - your deli counter or butcher may be the best bet to obtain this)
8 oz dried cannellini beans
2 potatoes
2 leeks
2 celery stalks
4 carrots
1 parsnip
½ lb savoy cabbage
Sliced bread (preferably home-made peasant loaf)
Gruyére
Combine pork and beans with 12 cups of water in a dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for an hour.
Meanwhile, peel and medium-dice the potatoes and reserve them in a bowl of water to avoid browning. Halve and clean the leeks, ensuring you remove all the dirt within the layers, and slice 1 inch thick. Chop the carrots, celery and parsnip into ½ inch pieces. Rough chop the savoy cabbage into large pieces.
After the pork and beans have cooked for an hour, add all of the vegetables (including drained potatoes) with a heavy pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for another hour.
Remove the bacon and slice into large chunks, stirring them back into the pot while you preheat the broiler, placing the rack in the top-third.
Dish out soup servings into individual crocks, or other flame-proof/oven-safe bowl, and top with a piece of bread and some shredded gruyère. Place on a baking sheet and under the broiler for 7-10 minutes, rotating the bowls and monitoring the broiling, as necessary.
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Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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