Comtoise stew

Ingredients

• 300 g of cured bacon or Franche-Comté pork belly
• 1 kg of smoked French Comté cheese
• 2 sausages from Morteau, produced in the Franche-Comté region
• 300 g of smoked Franc-Comtois ham
• 200 g of carrots
• 5 potatoes
• 100 g of turnip
• 3 leeks
• Two cabbages
• 1 onion
• 1. Garlic (Allium sativum)
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme and bay leaf)
• Some stale country bread

In a large pot, combine the bacon, smoked ham, chicken, potatoes, carrots, leeks, onion, and the herb bundle. Cover generously with cold water, a drizzle of olive oil, pepper, (no salt, as the meats are already salty), cover with a lid, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.

Add the cabbage in large pieces and the Morteau sausages (pierced), and cook over low heat for another 45 minutes.

Drain the vegetables and meats.

Place the vegetables in the center of a shallow dish, cut the meats into large pieces, and arrange them around the vegetables.

Serve with slices of crusty country bread topped with the stew.

Pair with red wine from Arbois in the Jura region, or a light, refreshing beer.

Drinking a meat and vegetable broth for dinner, accompanied by slices of rustic bread lightly rubbed with garlic and grilled in the oven with a sprinkle of grated cheese, would be a typical meal.