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!

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!

　　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