flipSmoked Bacon, Cabbage, and Potato Soup
Smoked Bacon, Cabbage, and Potato Soup
Why this dish? Ferry was a son of the provincial bourgeoisie of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges: there they supped in the evening on a humble potée where local smoked bacon perfumed the garden vegetables. This rustic soup, which he knew as a child, remained the symbol of a frugal table, faithful to his Lorraine origins even once he was a minister in Paris.
A thick, comforting peasant soup where smoked bacon gives its full depth of flavor to cabbage and potatoes. The quintessential everyday dish in the Vosges, simple and nourishing.
You see, I was born in Saint-Dié, and one does not forget the evening soup of one's homeland. My mother would melt a fine piece of smoked bacon in the cast-iron pot, throw in the garden cabbage and potatoes cut into large chunks, and let it simmer by the hearth until the whole house was perfumed. We would soak stale bread at the bottom of the bowl, and believe me, after a winter day in the Vosges, no dish from the capital could equal that honest steam.
- •Smoked bacon from the region — a good piece (base flavor)
- •Savoy cabbage — half a cabbage (main vegetable)
- •Potatoes — a handful per guest (thickener and substance)
- •Onion — one (aromatic)
- •Stale country bread — a few slices (garnish, at the bottom of the bowl)
- •Spring water — enough to cover (broth)
Smoked Bacon, Cabbage, and Potato Soup
A thick, comforting peasant soup where smoked bacon gives its full depth of flavor to cabbage and potatoes. The quintessential everyday dish in the Vosges, simple and nourishing.
Why this dish? Ferry was a son of the provincial bourgeoisie of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges: there they supped in the evening on a humble potée where local smoked bacon perfumed the garden vegetables. This rustic soup, which he knew as a child, remained the symbol of a frugal table, faithful to his Lorraine origins even once he was a minister in Paris.
You see, I was born in Saint-Dié, and one does not forget the evening soup of one's homeland. My mother would melt a fine piece of smoked bacon in the cast-iron pot, throw in the garden cabbage and potatoes cut into large chunks, and let it simmer by the hearth until the whole house was perfumed. We would soak stale bread at the bottom of the bowl, and believe me, after a winter day in the Vosges, no dish from the capital could equal that honest steam.
Ingredients (period version)
- Smoked bacon from the region — a good piece (base flavor)
- Savoy cabbage — half a cabbage (main vegetable)
- Potatoes — a handful per guest (thickener and substance)
- Onion — one (aromatic)
- Stale country bread — a few slices (garnish, at the bottom of the bowl)
- Spring water — enough to cover (broth)
Ingredients
- Smoked lardons — 200 g (base flavor)
- Savoy cabbage — 1/2 cabbage (about 400 g) (main vegetable)
- Potatoes — 500 g (thickener and substance)
- Onion — 1 large (aromatic)
- Broth or water — 1.5 L (broth)
- Stale country bread — 4 slices (garnish)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Sauté the lardons and sliced onion over low heat in the pot, without added fat.
- Add the shredded cabbage and potatoes cut into large chunks.
- Cover with water or broth, salt lightly (the bacon is already salty), and pepper.
- Simmer covered for 45 minutes, until the potatoes break down slightly and thicken the soup.
- Place a slice of stale bread at the bottom of each bowl and ladle the boiling soup over it.
How it was made : On farms and in modest homes in the Vosges during the 19th century, soup was the evening meal, simmered for hours by the fire. Smoked bacon, preserved from the pig slaughtered in winter, was used to flavor an entire pot of garden vegetables. Hard bread was always soaked in it so nothing went to waste.
The contemporary twist : Blend half the soup for a velvety texture, keep the other half chunky, and finish with a drizzle of walnut oil from the Vosges.
Jules Ferry · Charactorium
