Cabbage is wonderful for the indecisive cook, because you can buy a head, shove it in the crisper, and let it chill out until you decide how to prepare it. I came across a recipe, "Paul Steindler's Cabbage Soup" in The Essential New York Times Cookbook, which I enjoy cooking from almost as much as browsing through. This particular recipe had a tempting mix of flavors, but it seemed a bit too fastidious and timid, so I tailored it to my taste. Aware of that beautiful, tight head of cabbage in the fridge, and that today would be the first snowfall of the new year, I grabbed a few things at the supermarket last night and looked forward to making a gemütlich pot of soup.
- One small head of green cabbage, weighing about one pound
- 3 medium carrots
- 2 fist-sized waxy potatoes
- One decent-sized onion
- One small or 1/2 large bulb fennel (optional--I had some begging to be used)
- A slab of bacon, about 1/2 pound*
- 1/4 cup flour
- One quart (4 cups) chicken broth
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 1 t sugar
- 1 t caraway seeds, crushed**
- A healthy glug of aquavit (optional)
- 1 c heavy cream
- Chopped dill
Fill a casserole or heavy pot (about 5-6 quarts) halfway with water and bring to boil. Meanwhile, remove the shaggy outer layers of the cabbage, cut in quarters through the core and cut away the core. Slice the cabbage thinly and set aside. Dice the carrots, potatoes, onion, and bacon (remove the rind) as finely and evenly as you have the patience for. When the water is boiling rapidly, throw in the cabbage and allow to return to the boil. Cook for just one minute, and drain. Return the casserole to the stove over medium heat and toss in the diced bacon once the pot is dry. Cook until most of the fat has rendered--we're not aiming for crispy bits here--and add the onions. Cook until the onion is soft, then add the flour. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot, for about one minute. Add the broth, whisking to prevent lumps. Stir often until the liquid simmers. Add the cabbage, carrots, potatoes, fennel, caraway seeds, vinegar, aquavit, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Return to the simmer, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes, stirring thoroughly every time you remember to, until the vegetables are soft but not mushy. A chunk of potato will be a good barometer here. Stir in the cream and simmer a few minutes. Correct the seasoning, and serve with a healthy sprinkling of pepper and dill on top of each serving.
*You can used pre-sliced bacon, but the chunky meatiness of lardons is very preferable here.
**I could have sworn there was caraway in the pantry, but I searched until giving up. I did find kala jeera, though, since we seem to have every other spice under the sun. It was a fine, rather intriguing substitute, but I timidly used about 1/2 tsp since I didn't want this unique--"spooky" was the first word to come to mind when I tasted it--flavor to overtake the soup. The aquavit provided the lacking caraway flavor, as well as a herbal, velvety note.
I enjoyed a hefty bowl of this with buttered multi-grain bread, a long link of kabanos--an excellent Polish sausage, kind of what a Slim Jim should be--and a tall, frosty glass of pilsner.
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