11 February 2009

Hearty Cabbage Soup

En français ici.
While looking for something (cheap) to do with the enormous cabbage I received last week in my CSA, I surfed the internet and found that apparently no one in their right mind eats cabbage soup unless on the Cabbage Soup Diet (oh yes, it exists). Nobody that is except the amazing Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Cooking, over at 101 cookbooks. It was there that I find this delicious-looking recipe for Rustic Cabbage Soup, not to mention a wonderful story about her vegetable "dealer" (and the guerrilla version of a CSA - watch out Che, there's stiff competition!).

Considering that I also received some beautiful tiny pototoes, piled in dirt and nestled in a brown paper (all recyclable) bag, I decided this recipe would be perfect. I left out the flageolet beans because last time I cooked with those, my digestive system did not approve. Instead I used a small can of corn that I had in the back of a cabinet. The corn added both a bright color and a pleasant texture, so I would definetely recommend it.

I was especially happy to have this soup yesterday, considering the storm watch and high winds that resulted in a downpour of rain and hail in the afternoon and then, suddenly, this rainbow!


Hearty Cabbage Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pinch curry powder
1 pinch paprika
1 pinch salt

1lb small organic potatoes, skin on, cut into pieces
4 cloves garlic
1 large yellow onion, sliced
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 small can corn (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 a large cabbage, cored and sliced

1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice for garnish
(I used a hard sheep's cheese and it was delicious.)

Heat the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot. Pour in the potatoes and add the salt, curry powder and paprika. Cover and cook until the potatoes start to brown (around 7 min), stirring occasionally. Add the onion and garlic and cook another couple minutes.

Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the cabbage and corn and let simmer 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve hot with grated cheese on top.

Heidi isn't kidding when she says this soup is even better as leftovers. It's the kind of dish that improves with age! That's why I made such a large pot of it and ate it all week (so don't worry I'm not on a diet. It was pure gourmandise, as the French would say).

12 comments:

Cicero Sings said...

Love the blue blue sky in the last picture.

I have some cabbage languishing in the fridge so I copied that recipe and just may try it in the next day or two!!

Joie de vivre said...

How nice. I love the dual language format of your site. I think the aversion to cabbage soup comes from its association with peasant food? I don't really know though because yours looks beautiful.

Anonymous said...

You got a cabbage? We didn't get a cabbage!

And that was a beautiful rainbow - it disappeared before I could get a picture of it, so I'm glad you did! :)

Sam said...

This looks just like the cabbage soup I had while I was in Spain, it's delicious with some good crusty bread.

Hopie said...

Cicero - That blue sky came right after a storm and it was pretty spectacular! Hope you enjoy the soup.

Joie de vivre - Glad you're enjoying it. It takes a while to write in two languages, but it's fun too. I don't know...maybe people think of cabbage soup as just broth with some wilt-y leaves floating in it? But it's so much more appealing than that!

Camille - I've been noticing we don't get exactly the same things week to week. Funny that. I had so many beautiful light pictures from the storm, that I wished I could use them for the photo-tournoi, but they're all outside my window so kind of obvious to those who know me.

Sam - We had it with baguette, but crusty bread would be perfect!

Apples and Butter said...

Sounds delicious and warming. Just what I need right now as the weather is turning on us. And those pictures of the Parisian rooftops. Come on. You're making me so jealous!

Maria said...

I've never used cabbage in a soup but I very well may as soon as I pick some cabbage up next week.

Dewi said...

Hopie, that cabagge soup sounds so comforting. Love your photographs too.
Cheers,
Elra

David said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David said...

There is a wonderful scene in the classic Alain Tanner film from (obviously) 1975 "Jonas qui aura 25 ans dans l'annee 2000" in which a group of very post-hippie, post-1968-revolutionary communal-utopian- spiritual-political friends are all cooking together in the kitchen of a farmhouse and as Marco chops up cabbage and Matthieu dices onion, the two get into a passionate argument about which is the more perfectly democratic vegetable - the simple onion that makes everything else more delicious or the humble, earthy cabbage which offers comfort and nutrition. They end up with Matthieu awash in tears from chopping and no resolution whatsoever. Kind of like life! Great great film.

Hopie said...

Apples and Butter - Hehe, well at least the soup you can have and someday you'll have to come visit and see the rooftops ;-)

Maria - It was my first cabbage soup and I definitely recommend it.

Elra - Thank you!

Dad - Wow, I clearly have to see that movie. Thanks for the story to go with my soup :-)

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