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Garbure des Pyrénées
©Pierre VIncent
Typical dishesPyrenean gastronomy
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Pyrenean Garbure soup

The garbure is a typical and essential dish in Pyrenean gastronomy. It can be found on Lourdes dining tables as soon as the winter begins. Here is our local recipe, a chance to taste all the good things in our region in a generous dish.

A trip to the market

Making garbure first of all means a walk around the Halles de Lourdes the indoor market, in search of the ingredients, vegetables grown in the soil or locally bred meat. You will need a nice green cabbage, leeks, turnips, carrots and potatoes from the greengrocer’s, while not forgetting the traditional white beans from Tarbes, of course! Next, head for the butcher’s for the heel (or thick slices) of regional ham and either pork ribs or preserved duck legs. To bring out all the taste, garlic, parsley and a stick of celery will be a perfect match for the bouquet garni, along with a little white wine in the broth.

Jour de marché aux Halles de Lourdes
©Pierre VIncent
    Vegetables 2020662 1920Vegetables 2020662 1920
    ©Vegetables 2020662 1920

      The recipe

      Ingredients

       

      • Heel of ham: 0.5 kg
      • 9 peppercorns
      • 1 onion
      • 4 cloves
      • ½ stick of celery
      • Bay leaves
      • 1 cabbage
      • 6 carrots
      • 4 round turnips
      • 2 leeks
      • 6 to 8 potatoes
      • 250g Tarbes beans
      • 10 preserved duck legs

      Back home, it is time to study the art of “simmering”. The very first step takes place the day before (or a few hours before you begin cooking), by leaving the white beans to soak in cold water.

      On the day, you need to peel and cut your vegetables into large cubes. Slice the cabbage. Then it is time to reach for the cooking pot.

      Pour in 2 litres of chicken broth (prepared beforehand), the ham, the drained beans and the bouquet garni. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes.

      Meanwhile, fry the preserved duck legs in a pan or in the oven. But don’t throw anything away, especially not the duck fat. Put the fat in a large frying pan and brown the carrots, turnips, celery and leeks, along with the shallots and chopped garlic. Don’t forget to add salt and pepper!

      Put all the ingredients in the pot and carry on cooking for 30 minutes before adding the blanched cabbage and potatoes. Cook for another 45 minutes.

      Before serving, add the meat, which you have put aside and kept warm. Now you just need to enjoy the garbure, served with slices of farmhouse bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic.

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