FRENCH GOURMET PORK, SAUSAGE, AND VEGETABLE STEW

Steps:

• Rinse beans and soak beans overnight or at least 4 hours with as much water to cover them entirely as they expand.
• To serve this rich stew as a first-course soup, cut cabbages into wedges and as thinly as possible.
• All vegetables and meats are cut into cubes or diced and add more liquid.
• Use only half of the pork shoulder.
• Trim off excess fat from pork shoulder.
• Tie the shoulder into an oval and put it in a large pot, ideally just wide enough to hold the shoulder with the shoulder bone if there was one.
• Add garlic, bouquet garni, juniper berries.
• Pour in enough cold water to cover and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Cut the rind off the bacon and add to liquid with pork shoulder.
• Simmer very gently uncovered, using ladle to skim off fat and froth.
• Cut cabbage into 10 wedges.
• Remove strip of core at inner edges.
• When the shoulder has cooked for 1 17" hours, add the beans.
• Simmer for 30 minutes more and nestle in the cabbage wedges, sausage, and the rest of the vegetables.
• Simmer for one hour more.
• The pork cooks for a total of 3 hours.
• Strain contents of pot and set over a bowl or clean pot.
• Discard bouquet garni and shoulder bone.
• Skim off a bit of the fat.
• Season the broth to taste with salt.
• Slice the meats.
• Serve broth and vegetables in bowls, each with a slice of toast at the bottom of each bowl and the meats placed on top.