The Ariège lies in the heart of the Pyrenees to the east of the Lourdes pilgrim trail. Bordered by the Pyrénées-Orientales and the tiny independent state of Andorra, that hosted Stage 6, the area is named after torrential river Ariège that cuts through the mountains and gorges of this wild landscape.
As France's least populated département life is rural in these and this is reflected in the cuisine. Neither entirely French, nor quite Spanish, the Ariège cooking is unique and like all mountain regions, it's also fiercely proud of its culinary traditions.
The mountain roads in the Ariege offer fantastic cycling and the riders will be taking on the famous cols such as Agnes and Plateau de Beille and once the climbing is over Garbure is the proud traditional stew of the Ariege I would be enjoying.
Garbure is a traditional peasant vegetable and cabbage soup from the Southwest of France
- 8 free range chicken wings
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 large size potato, chopped
- 100g smoked bacon, chopped into small chunks
- 100g smoked garlic sausage, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- half a savoy cabbage, cored and shredded
- 150ml of dry white wine
- 1.5l chicken stock
- 100g grated gruyère cheese
- salt
- pepper
1. Add the chicken wings to a roasting tin. Cover in a healthy glug of oil, season and cook for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Now sauté the onion, potato, bacon, sausage and garlic in the rest of the oil with the thyme leaves in a large pan for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the cabbage, stirring in well until they wilt. Stir in the wine and cook until it evaporates.
4. Pour in the stock, add seasoning and bring to the boil. Simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes until the cabbage softens and becomes translucent.
5. Add the chicken wings to the pot for the last 10 minutes of cooking and add the gruyère before serving so it melts in the heat. Serve with crusty bread.
