Cabbage Soup

A head of cabbage in the box got me wondering how cabbage (along with corned beef) got so associated with Ireland. Seems that if you look online you will find that cabbage originated in either Asia, Britian, or the Mediterranean. Hmmm. Anyhow, it was a wild seaside plant that looked more like kale. Selective breeding led to the "head" of cabbage that we are familiar with today. The Celts brought cabbage to northern Europe and it did well in Ireland's cold climate. Its fast growing time (3 months) and nutrients made it an ideal dinner for poor, rural Irish farmers who boiled it along with onions for a simple stew.

In that spirit, I was able to use up a number of box items with this tasty soup which fed us for a few days.

Cabbage Soup

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 head of cabbage, sliced thinly (I used the savoy cabbage from the box)
  
• 2 small leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 2 medium red potatoes, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• butter and olive oil about 1 Tbsp. each
  
• big pinch of salt
• black pepper
• a few shakes of red pepper flakes
  
• 2 tbsp. thyme, chopped
• 4-5 cups of broth
  
• 1 can cannelli beans, rinsed
• shredded Parmesan cheese
  

Start by melting the butter in a large pot and add the olive oil when it's melted. Add the potatoes, salt, and pepper and stir to mix. Cover and simmer until they begin to soften and even brown a bit. Add leeks and onions and stir to mix. Mince the garlic into the mixture and toss in some red pepper flakes along with the thyme. Stir and let simmer until potatoes are cooked through. Add broth and beans and bring to a boil. Core the cabbage and slice into 1/4 inch ribbons. Add to soup as it begins to boil. Lower heat and let simmer until the cabbage has softened. Serve and top with grated Parmesan cheese. Have plenty of my favorite bread on the side: Semifreddi's seeded baguette. A salad of backyard romaine on the side made for a complete meal.

Day 2 leftovers: Saute up some Tofurky Italian sausage and add it to the soup.

Inspiration:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/rustic-cabbage-soup-recipe.html
http://csadelivery.blogspot.com/2010/01/cabbage-soup.html