Garbure

Garbure is the name of the cabbage, bean and vegetable stew from Gascony region in Southwest France.  The version that we make here at Rendezvous features lots of savoy cabbage, some smoked bacon, cannellini beans, white wine, chicken stock and a few other vegetables: onion, garlic, carrot and potato.  For those of you who are familiar with our signature dish, Gason-style Duck 3 Ways, it is the stew on top of which we serve the sliced duck breast, the smoked garlic sausage and the joint of duck leg confit.  The pleasure of this dish is in the mixing of the meats with the stew, bite by bite, for a wonderful combination of flavors, the whole thing tasting even better than the sum of its parts!

Some of our guests tell us that this duck-and-garbure combination reminds them of Cassoulet, and I can understand why they might say that, but in my view the dishes are more different than they are alike.  True enough; both of these preparations include meat and beans and come from the same general region of France.  But the garbure itself can stand up very well on its own without any additional meats or garnishes, and in fact I enjoy it regularly for lunch as a hearty soup with a piece of crusty bread.

And here’s how we make it:

2C     dry cannellini beans, cooked until tender

1lb     smoked bacon, cut into lardons

1         onion, peeled and cut into thick slices

4         cloves garlic, chopped

1          savoy cabbage, outer leaves and core removed, sliced 1/2″ thick

1          large carrot, peeled and cut into quarter-rounds 1/2″ thick

1          russet potato, peeled and cut into quarter-rounds 1/2″ thick

1          sprig fresh thyme

1C       dry white wine

2C       chicken stock

kosher salt and cracked black pepper

water to cover

In a 2 1/2 quart saucepan, cook the cannellini beans in water with a 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 2T olive oil and 1T salt, stirring occasionally, until they are tender.  You might need to add more water from time to time in order to keep them covered by 1″.  It is important to use good quality beans and to cook them until they really begin to soften a bit. When the beans are done cooking, there should still be a bit of the flavorful liquid in the pot that tastes like beans, garlic and olive oil.

Very Important Chef’s Note #1: Most people undercook beans — don’t be like them!

Very Important Chef’s Note #2: Don’t drain the beans; keep that yummy liquid!

Meanwhile, in a larger saucepan (@ 8 quarts), render the lardons until they are nicely browned.  Add the cabbage, onion and garlic, and using a little olive oil in addition to the rendered bacon fat, sauté until translucent, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper as you go.  Add the rest of the vegetables and continue to sauté for 3-4 more minutes, seasoning lightly with salt.  Add the thyme, wine and chicken stock and a splash of water if necessary to cover.  Bring to a simmer, check for seasoning, and then cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

At this point, add the cooked beans (and their liquid!) to the vegetables and stir in.  Continue to simmer this together for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, checking the seasoning once more.  At this point, you can do as we do at the restaurant and eat this soup right away or use it with other meats for a more complicated meal.

Chef’s note: you can make this stew one day ahead, but just make sure to cool it down completely before storing it in the fridge.  It’s the kind of stew that somehow seems to taste even better the next day!