This might be what warmth tastes like…

I love soup.  There are so many varieties, hot soups, cold soups, thick soups, clear soups… There is a soup for every person.  And generally soup isn't too hard to make.  Generally.  So I had clipped this recipe for leek and cabbage soup when I saw it in the New York Times Dining Section.  I was also hoping it would be a good way to eat cabbage, a vegetable that I appreciate more than I like.  

Cabbage is in season from June to October in the northern hemisphere, but I've never lived anywhere that I wasn't able to get it year round (we won't go into that here…)  So I've always seen it.  I like it mixed into my salads, it turns out that they put it in Runzas (how sneaky!), and my oma (German grandmother) makes absolutely delicious spiced red cabbage.  Beyond that, though, I've never cared much for it.  I didn't even like coleslaw until college.

But I wanted to like cabbage.  It's such a homey vegetable.  Red cabbage looks lovely.  And it's so traditional.  A lot of European comfort foods include it.  In fact, this soup is a comfort food.  So, when I planned to make soup and had a half a head of cabbage left over from another recipe, I decided to give it a try.  I mean, that is why I clipped it, right?  

Cabbage, Potato, and Leek Soup
2 leeks
1/2- 1 head cabbage
6 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic
3 medium-sized baking potatoes
2 C chicken stock
2 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper (to taste)
parmesan (as garnish)

Begin by prepping your veggies.  Discard the dark green portion of the leeks, and thinly slice and wash the remainder.  (I wash after slicing; you can do so before.  Either way, make sure you get the dirt out from between the leaves!)  Shred the cabbage.  (I had about 3/4 of a Napa cabbage left, so I used that.  It doesn't go onto a grater very well, but using a knife to thinly shave off pieces from the top of the head worked quite well.)  Mince the garlic, and peel and dice the potatoes.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat in your soup pot, then add the leeks and cook until soft and barely caramelized (about 7 minutes).  Add the cabbage and garlic (it will cook down!).  Stir occasionally until the cabbage begins to caramelize, (about 10 minutes).

Add the potatoes, stock, water, salt, and thyme.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are falling apart, about 45 minutes.  Add water if you feel the soup is too thick.  Season taste with pepper and additional salt, and serve with parmesan cheese on top.


So, I was a little skeptical.  My husband was too.  But we were both like, "Oh, if you're willing to make/try it, I will try/make it."  And you know what?  This was good!   I thought it might upset my stomach the way sauerkraut does--nope!  I thought it might have a weird, slimy texture-- Nope!  My husband was even happy to eat the leftovers, "I liked it!" he said with enthusiasm when I asked.  For only a few ingredients, there was a lot of deep, rich flavor.  This truly was a comfort food.  There are enough veggies in it that it was filling, but they're cooked soft enough that it's not too much to chew through.  It was almost creamy from the potato starch.  It didn't leave me craving anything else, except maybe more.  Luckily, it made more than just the 4 servings that the recipe described.