French Cabbage Soup

This is the kind of soup French grandmothers have been making forever. A hunk of bacon or ham goes into a pot with potatoes and three quarts of water, then simmers low and slow until the meat falls apart and the broth tastes like pork heaven.

You’ll add roughly sliced cabbage, carrots, turnips, celery, and aromatics (garlic, bay leaf, crushed peppercorns) for an hour of gentle cooking that marries all those earthy flavors. Canned beans stirred in at the end add substance without extra work.

Serve it in deep bowls with crusty French bread for dunking. This is comfort food that sticks to your ribs without weighing you down.

Pro Tips

• Use a single piece of lean bacon or ham so you can remove it easily, slice it, and return it to the pot
• Skim excess fat from the surface after the meat has simmered (makes for a cleaner-tasting soup)
• Crush the peppercorns with the side of a knife for better flavor release than whole peppercorns
• Drain and rinse canned beans before adding to remove excess sodium and starchy liquid
• Make this a day ahead since the flavors deepen and improve overnight in the fridge