Meat Free "Garbure" Soup with Cabbage and Pumpkin

Meat Free “Garbure” Soup with Cabbage and Pumpkin

Serves	6
Prep time	24 hours, 15 minutes
Cook time	2 hours
Total time	26 hours, 15 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Soup, Starter
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving
Region	French
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

This is my vegetarian take in a classic French "Garbure" - a meat laden soup with beans and vegetables that originates from South West France. It is usually cooked in a "Toupin", which is a tall earthenware casserole pot with a distinctive wide body, however, any pot that holds all the ingredients will do. This is a meal in itself, and even without the meat, it makes a nutritious and delicious meal. French country cooking at its best and ideal for the winter months.

Ingredients

450g dried white beans (such as haricot, navy or cannelliini beans)
2 onions (peeled with 2 cloves stuck in each onion)
bouquet garni
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 small pumpkin (peeled, seeds removed and cut into small dice)
4 large potatoes (peeled and cut into small dice)
4 cloves garlic (peeled and finely diced)
2 small carrots (peeled and finely diced)
1/2 small savoy cabbage (trimmed and finely shredded)

Note

This is my vegetarian take in a classic French "Garbure" - a meat laden soup with beans and vegetables that originates from South West France. It is usually cooked in a "Toupin", which is a tall earthenware casserole pot with a distinctive wide body, however, any pot that holds all the ingredients will do. This is a meal in itself, and even without the meat, it makes a nutritious and delicious meal. French country cooking at its best and ideal for the winter months.

Directions

Step 1	Soak the beans in water overnight. The next day, put the drained beans in a large pot with 2 litres of fresh water and then add the onions and the bouquet garni. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are cooked and tender.
Step 2	Season the bean stock to taste with salt and pepper, remove the onions and cloves, and then roughly chop the onions and put them back into to bean stock.
Step 3	Add all the prepared vegetables excepting the cabbage, and simmer them gently for about 20 minutes, or until they are cooked and soft. Add the shredded the cabbage for the last 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 4	Adjust seasoning again and serve in warm bowls with crusty bread.
Step 5	Note: Tinned beans can be used, just follow the recipe above from step 3, adding the onions with cloves and the bouquet garni - remove the onions at the end of the cooking time and chop them as before, before adding them back into the soup. Discard the cloves and season to taste. Cooked meat such as ham can be added to the soup if you wish.