About the Recipe
I have to say that when it comes to food, the English language is really poor. ‘Cabbage Soup’ sounds just so unappetising! Also, cabbage is such an underrated vegetable here – I guess mostly… because people don’t know how to cook it, and that means: cook it WELL!!
Shame, as let’s not forget that cabbage is not only cheap but it’s also full of nutrients – after all it’s kale’s less famous cousin!
For this recipe I’m using cabbage marinated in brine (NOT vinegar!) that you can easily find on the international section in the large supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s or Tesco. “Krakus” is the brand tried and recommended.
Ingredients
2 large onions
3 heaped tbsp. coconut oil
½ tsp. allspice
½ tsp. caraway
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. sugar
2 carrots
1 parsnip
¼ celeriac
Small bunch of dried wild mushrooms
3 tbsp. vegetable bouillon
3 bay leaves
400ml can of chopped tomatoes
900g (1 jar) of cabbage in brine, drained
½ small fresh cabbage, shredded
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Bunch of parsley to serve
Preparation
In a large cooking pot melt the coconut oil and add the onions. Cook on a high heat constantly stirring for 2 minutes, or, until golden. Turn down the heat and add all the spices. Cook for another minute, make sure to stir – do not let the spices burn.
Prep the bay leaves: squash the leaves in your hand and put them into a small pan. Pour over 100 ml of boiling water and add a pinch of salt – this will get the boiling point of water to 102°C and extract more flavour. Put aside.
Add the peeled & chopped carrots, parsnip & celeriac to the cooking pot and fry for another 5-10 minutes. Add 800ml of filtered water, bouillon, both lots of cabbage, chopped tomatoes, wild mushrooms, the bay leaves’ water and simmer for another 45 minutes.
Check for seasoning, add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and more salt, if needed.
Serve with chopped parsley on top.