Le Jambonneau de Porc
French Home Cooking at its Wintery Best
Anthony Bourdain once said, “Context and memory play powerful roles in all the truly great meals in one’s life.” I couldn’t agree more though I may add storytelling as another attribute. David, one of my friends with a prominent seat at the table of the Holy Brotherhood of the Golden Stomach once lovingly described an impromptu meal he shared with a French friend several decades before.
The pair had gone out hunting game birds early one morning before returning home empty-handed and famished. His friend’s kitchen cupboards were filled with home-canned beans and preserved pork shanks, known as jambonneau. They heated a can of flageolet beans with a can of jambonneau to make a quick hearty meal for the two of them.
Before I go any further you must understand that David has a gift for prose that I lack. His words so vividly recalled this simple meal in such great detail, that when I read his words, I could literally smell the pork and beans simmering in my very own kitchen. I must confess this meal haunted me for months.
Last week I was shopping at Marche Atwater up in Montreal and came across a package of cured jambonneau in a shop. When I saw it, I felt like I had found the holy grail. The little ham triggered the memory of David’s story so fully that I found myself…
