Last Night
Last Night: Inaugurating Soup Season
Last night, I took advantage of the suddenly autumnal weather to inaugurate soup season with one of my favorite standbys: Cabbage soup from Veselka, a Ukranian diner in the East Village. Even if it isn't cold where you are, seriously: Go home and make this soup. Now.
The basic recipe (recipe and photo via Smitten Kitchen) relies on a long simmering of chunks of pork in chicken stock, but I think it would be just as good with beef brisket, plain low-sodium chicken stock, or a concentrated vegetable stock made with lots of onions, carrots, celery, and dill.
The key ingredient is the sauerkraut and a few spoonfuls of its juice, added at the end to give the soup extra body and punch. Next time I make it, I'm going to use a single large piece of pork, maybe a ham hock, for flavor, add a couple cups of cooked cannellini beans for heft, and use a full head of cabbage instead of the two cups the recipe calls for. Any way you make it, it's going to be delicious.
Of course, that's just the inauguration of soup season, not the denouement. Over the winter, I plan to make good use of the Soup and Bread cookbook, which is exactly what it sounds like. (Somewhat convoluted backstory: The book was a gift from Josh; it was written by his college friend Martha, who grew up in Seattle; he bought it---from Martha's mom!---at the gift shop at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill).
So what am I looking forward to this winter? Well, this, this, and this, for starters. But trust me: This humble-looking little book has something for every cook and season, from vegan tomato soups to cool summer vichyssoise, to hearty winter chilis. Buy it (and get more recipes) here.
The basic recipe (recipe and photo via Smitten Kitchen) relies on a long simmering of chunks of pork in chicken stock, but I think it would be just as good with beef brisket, plain low-sodium chicken stock, or a concentrated vegetable stock made with lots of onions, carrots, celery, and dill.
The key ingredient is the sauerkraut and a few spoonfuls of its juice, added at the end to give the soup extra body and punch. Next time I make it, I'm going to use a single large piece of pork, maybe a ham hock, for flavor, add a couple cups of cooked cannellini beans for heft, and use a full head of cabbage instead of the two cups the recipe calls for. Any way you make it, it's going to be delicious.
Veselka’s Cabbage Soup
Serves 6 to 8
1 pound pork butt, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
4 cups water
3 allspice berries
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 cup sauerkraut, plus around 4 tablespoons juice
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 carrots, minced
3 stalks celery, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 cups fresh cabbage, shredded thin
Place the pork in a medium stockpot with the chicken stock, water, allspice, bay leaves, and marjoram. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat for about 2 hours. Remove the pork and set aside on a plate to cool. Skim fat from stock, leaving a few “eyes” of fat for flavor.
Add sauerkraut and simmer for 20 minutes. Add potato and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and cabbage and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the pork and simmer for 10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add sauerkraut juice.
Of course, that's just the inauguration of soup season, not the denouement. Over the winter, I plan to make good use of the Soup and Bread cookbook, which is exactly what it sounds like. (Somewhat convoluted backstory: The book was a gift from Josh; it was written by his college friend Martha, who grew up in Seattle; he bought it---from Martha's mom!---at the gift shop at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill).
So what am I looking forward to this winter? Well, this, this, and this, for starters. But trust me: This humble-looking little book has something for every cook and season, from vegan tomato soups to cool summer vichyssoise, to hearty winter chilis. Buy it (and get more recipes) here.
