Skip to main content

Peasant Soup

The restaurant La Tupina in Bordeaux, France, serves a soup that’s slow cooked for four hours. The last few delicious spoonfuls are combined with red wine and swallowed back. These are my kind of people! This is an adaptation my way, minus three hours and thirty minutes. This peasant can’t wait!

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (twice around the pan)
1 small ham steak, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib with its greens, chopped
1 leek, cleaned and sliced into half-moons
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 small head of cabbage, cut into large pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
Coarse salt
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
Coarse black pepper
Crusty bread
1 bottle red Bordeaux wine, for the chef and the last few swallows of soup!

Preparation

  1. Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the soup fixins to the pot as you chop them: ham, carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, and shallots. Add the cabbage to the pot and sprinkle with the sugar and salt. Add 2 cups water and cover the pot. Steam the cabbage for 15 minutes. Uncover the pot and add the stock and beans. Crank the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and keep at a low simmer. Adjust the salt and pepper. Serve with crusty bread, and don’t forget to down the last few swallows with your trusty Bordeaux!

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats
Read More
Invert the ratio of gin to vermouth for a party-friendly and slightly lighter drinking experience.
No grill needed for this just-charred-enough sweet and spicy chicken.
Loosely inspired by pasta Amatriciana, a few pounds of zucchini stand in for tomatoes.
Like banana pudding cake and beer can chicken.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Our go-to banana bread recipe is moist, nutty, and incredibly easy to make.
Like swordfish steaks with tomatoes and Peruvian-style tofu.