Cool weather comfort, healthy & filling, garnished with a sprinkle of spring chives.
Thunder is rumbling overhead, raindrops are tapping on The Shack's
old tin roof(something I never get tired of listening to), and today's forecast is calling for highs in the 30s, with freezing drizzle and snow flurries on the way.
I love this kind of weather. It makes me want to spend the day curled up next to the woodstove with a
vintage quiltand a good book, a
beagle pupsnoozing quietly nearby (he does stop
chewing on thingsonce in a while), and something warm and comforting simmering on the stove.
Spring
may have sprung, with 80 degree days last week, but cozy quilt and soup season are thankfully still hanging on. And while farm life doesn't quite lend itself to spending the day on the couch, and the beagle pup laying nearby just loudly crunched on a plastic clothespin (where does he find these things?), making homemade soup is something we can handle.
Although I'm
crazy about cabbage, I'd never tasted cabbage soup until a recipe for potato, cabbage, and leek soup in a recent issue of Bon Appetit magazine inspired me to finally try making some.
A couple years ago during a cabbage overflow, I started roasting big pans of variously flavored shredded cabbage with delicious success, so it seemed only natural to make my cabbage soup like I do this
Roasted Leek and Potato Soup with Arugula (or Spinach), where the vegetables are tossed with olive oil and roasted in the oven, and then the roasting pan is placed over two stove burners and briefly cooked with some of the stock, allowing all those nice darkened bits to become part of the soup.
This thick version of cabbage soup is rich and flavorful, yet low fat and full of healthy goodness. The roasted potatoes, onions, garlic, and cabbage also make for a tasty side dish on their own, and would probably be really good if you cooked some nice sausages in the pan along with them.
Homemade chicken stock is much better anything you can buy and ridiculously easy to make. It also freezes beautifully. All you have to do is put a few pieces of uncooked chicken or a leftover chicken carcass (make sure there's some meat on it so you don't end up with bone broth), a few carrots, a couple of quartered onions, two or three ribs of celery, a handful of parsley, and some black peppercorns into a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer gently for several hours and strain. Yep, that's it.
Roasted Onion, Potato, and Cabbage Soup
Makes about 6 cups - recipe may be doubled
Inspired by Bon Appetit and my
Roasted Leek and Potato Soup with ArugulaI used my
KitchenAid hand blender(one of the best kitchen purchases I've ever made) to purée the soup, and I liked the slightly textured results. For a smoother finish, use a
counter top blenderinstead.
A digital kitchen scale is another worthwhile kitchen investment that makes life so much easier. I love my
Oxo Good Grips 11-pound scaleand often use it several times a day. It's also great for weighing postage. A heavy
stainless steel roasting panhas so many uses (like making big batches of apple or
pear butter) and is perfect for roasting vegetables because the tall sides allow you to easily stir everything around.
The milk and cheese are optional here, and the garnish possibilities are many. Like most soups, this one tastes even better the second day. As always, I urge you to seek out
localand organic ingredients; they really do make a difference.
1 pound red or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" dice (about 2½ cups)
1 pound yellow onions, peeled and chopped into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces (about 3 cups)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Several grinds of fresh black pepper
1 pound green cabbage, chopped into 1/2" to 3/4" dice (about 6 cups)
Another 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 cups organic chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/2 cup organic whole milk (optional)
1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Garnish suggestions:
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Thin slices of Monterey Jack cheese
Snipped fresh chives (so
easy to grow) or chopped scallions
Some finely chopped cabbage for a little crunch
A dollop of sour cream, yogurt, or creme fraiche
Heat the oven to 425°. Combine the potatoes, onions, and garlic in a
large roasting pan. Add the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
Add the cabbage and another 1/2 teaspoon salt to the roasting pan, toss to combine, and roast until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven and place it over two burners on the stove. Stir in 2 cups of the chicken stock and cook over low heat for a few minutes, scraping up any dark and crispy roasted bits that are stuck to the pan.
Transfer the contents of the roasting pan to a 3 or 4 quart pot. Stir in 2 more cups of chicken stock, plus the milk and/or Pecorino Romano if using.
Use an
immersion blenderor counter top blender to carefully purée the soup, adding up to 1 more cup of chicken stock if it's thicker than you like. Cook over low heat until hot and check the seasonings (salt brings out the flavors, and you may need more if your stock isn't very salty). Serve, garnished as desired.
How about some homemade bread to go with your soup?
Beyond Easy Beer Bread (my most popular recipe, a warm crusty loaf in under an hour)
Whole Wheat Beer Bread
Onion Rye Beer Bread
Oatmeal Toasting Bread (makes great rolls, too)
Carrot Herb Rolls (and a beautiful bread book for beginners)
More Farmgirl Fare soup recipes:
Hearty Italian White Bean Soup with Smoked Tomatoes and Ham
Roasted Garlic Lover's White Bean Soup (fat free, vegan, anddelicious!)
Hearty Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage
Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.
©
FarmgirlFare.com, slurping up soup and loving rain gear and rubber boots.
