Garbure (French Ham & Vegetable Stew)

This is a yummy, hearty, flavorful meal that evokes the memories of dining in the south of France.  

The key to the rich flavor of this peasant soup is the smoked ham hock. Be sure to purchase a meaty cross-cut hock (which looks like an osso buco-cut shank); other hocks offer little meat. Or look for a smoked pork shank. The soup-stew is so thick with beans, leeks, root vegetables, and cabbage that you can almost eat it with a fork. And it's the type of dish that gets better with each successive reheating.

Recipe Preparation
Hands On: 25 Minutes 
Total: 9 Hours, 30 Minutes  (or use a pressure cooker to melt the smoked pork from the hock and it's MUCH quicker!)

Ingredients

• 4 ounces dried cannellini or Great Northern beans
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 1 large)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 cups no-salt-added chicken stock 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
• 1 cross-cut smoked ham hock (about 8 ounces)
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 ounces red potatoes, cubed
• 6 ounces turnip, cubed
• 1 large carrot, cubed
• 4 cups thinly sliced Savoy cabbage
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 (1-ounce) slices country bread, toasted
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened

Preparation

1. Sort and wash beans. Place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans. Cover and let stand for 8 hours or overnight. Drain.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add onion. Cover and cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add leek and chopped garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add soaked beans, stock, herbes de Provence, ham hocks, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until beans are just tender. Remove ham hock; cool slightly. Pick meat from bones; reserve meat. Discard bones and fat.
3. Add potatoes, turnip, and carrot to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in cabbage; simmer 4 minutes. Stir in parsley, thyme, vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
4. Rub toast slices with cut sides of garlic clove; spread evenly with butter. Serve toast with soup.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

• Calories: 235
• Fat: 7.3g
• Saturated fat: 2.4g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.8g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.6g
• Protein: 13.1g
• Carbohydrate: 30.7g
• Fiber: 6.6g
• Cholesterol: 28mg
• Iron: 2.2mg
• Sodium: 645mg
• Calcium: 98mg