flipTarn Bread and Cheese Soup (L'Oulade)
Tarn Bread and Cheese Soup (L'Oulade)
Why this dish? Son of a modest family from Castres, Jaurès grew up with the peasant soup of the Tarn, eaten frugally in the evening. A man of the people who remained simple despite fame, he loved these rustic Southern dishes of his childhood more than Parisian feasts.
A rustic soup of cabbage, potatoes, and pork rinds, poured boiling over stale bread slices and thin shavings of local cheese that melt gently. The comfort of winter evenings in the Tarn.
You see, back home in Castres, in the evening we didn't stand on ceremony: my mother poured the boiling broth over the morning's hard bread and a few shavings of mountain cheese. The bread soaked up the soup, the cheese stretched into strings, and that gave us all the strength a worker needed for the next day. Believe me, I've dined in many a restaurant of the Republic, but no table ever seemed more honest to me than that one.
- •Stale country bread — a few large slices (base that soaks up the broth)
- •Green cabbage — half (base vegetable)
- •Pork rinds and a piece of bacon — a handful (fat and flavor)
- •Local cheese (sheep's tomme) — as desired (melting binder)
- •Leeks, turnips, garlic — whatever the garden yields (aromatics)
Tarn Bread and Cheese Soup (L'Oulade)
A rustic soup of cabbage, potatoes, and pork rinds, poured boiling over stale bread slices and thin shavings of local cheese that melt gently. The comfort of winter evenings in the Tarn.
Why this dish? Son of a modest family from Castres, Jaurès grew up with the peasant soup of the Tarn, eaten frugally in the evening. A man of the people who remained simple despite fame, he loved these rustic Southern dishes of his childhood more than Parisian feasts.
You see, back home in Castres, in the evening we didn't stand on ceremony: my mother poured the boiling broth over the morning's hard bread and a few shavings of mountain cheese. The bread soaked up the soup, the cheese stretched into strings, and that gave us all the strength a worker needed for the next day. Believe me, I've dined in many a restaurant of the Republic, but no table ever seemed more honest to me than that one.
Ingredients (period version)
- Stale country bread — a few large slices (base that soaks up the broth)
- Green cabbage — half (base vegetable)
- Pork rinds and a piece of bacon — a handful (fat and flavor)
- Local cheese (sheep's tomme) — as desired (melting binder)
- Leeks, turnips, garlic — whatever the garden yields (aromatics)
Ingredients
- Stale country bread — 8 slices (base)
- Green cabbage — 1/2 cabbage, shredded (vegetable)
- Potatoes — 3 medium, diced (body)
- Pork rinds or smoked bacon — 150 g (umami and fat)
- Sheep's tomme or Cantal cheese — 150 g, thinly sliced (binder)
- Leek, turnip, 2 cloves garlic — 1 each (aromatics)
- Water or broth — 1.5 L (base)
Method
- Brown the rinds or bacon, then add leek, garlic, cabbage, turnip, and potatoes.
- Cover with water or broth, season with salt, and simmer gently for 45 minutes.
- In a soup tureen (or ovenproof bowls), layer stale bread slices and cheese shavings.
- Pour the boiling soup over, cover for 5 minutes to let the bread swell and cheese melt, and serve immediately.
How it was made : In the Tarn countryside, soup "soaked" over stale bread was the quintessential evening meal. Nothing was wasted: hard bread was revived in broth, and a piece of cheese bound it all together. It was sometimes left to simmer all day by the hearth.
The contemporary twist : Pass the tureen under the broiler for two minutes for a gratinéed top, and serve in individual cocottes "Belle Époque brasserie style."
Jean Jaurès · Charactorium
