Soupe aux choux (cabbage and smoked pork belly soup)

Trim off and discard the outer leaves of both cabbages; rinse under running water.

Trim the base and cut each cabbage into quarters.

Blanch: put the quarters in cold water with a little rock salt and bring just to a simmer, to clean and tenderise them.

Meanwhile cut the carrot in quarters, halve the onion and stud one half with cloves, and cut the smoked pork belly into thick pieces.

Drain the cabbage in a large sieve and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it.

Cut out the hard core and cut the cabbage into fairly wide strips.

Melt a little butter over medium heat in a cast iron pan; add the carrot and the quartered half onion and stir 10 to 20 seconds.

Add half the cabbage, then a layer of smoked pork belly, the clove-studded onion, and the rest of the cabbage.

Add the chicken stock and, if wanted, a grind of pepper; no salt, since the pork belly is salty - salt only at the end if needed.

Cover and simmer 1 to 1 and a half hours; at 50 minutes the cabbage was still firm.

Cut pieces of a day-old country loaf in half and roast them in the oven with no oil.

Serve the soup with chunky cabbage and a piece or two of pork belly; soak toasted bread in it, optionally topped with a little cheese.