This cabbage soup, a vegetarian variation of Paul Steindler’s cabbage soup, is one of my favorite recipes to make this time of year, foremost because I always seem to be swimming in cabbage but also, of course, for its texture and flavor: slightly creamy, loaded with vegetables, infused subtly with caraway, whose citrusy notes along with the vinegar pair so well with the cabbage and other vegetables Dill, too, which I just learned is in the same family as caraway, brightens the stewy flavors just before serving. Here I use homemade vegetable stock, which is simple: throw some things in a pot, cover with water, simmer. Forty-five minutes later, it’s done. During those 45 minutes of simmering, you can prep the rest of the soup. This soup does require a fair amount of chopping but the upshot — cabbage soup for days! — makes the effort worth it. PS: Cabbage Pancakes (Okonomiyaki), Cabbage Pad Thai-ish with Baked Tofu, Roasted Vegetables with Tahini, Lemon & Za’atar, Simplest Cabbage Slaw ALL the Cabbage Recipes → Right Here Soup and stock time: Vegetable stock: leeks, onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, bay leaf, garlic, thyme parsley, salt — use the recipe as a guide. Soup vegetables: carrots, onions, potatoes: Sliced cabbage: Sliced cabbage covered in boiling water: Onions sweating: Flour added (see recipe notes for an alternative to the flour): Straining the vegetable stock: Adding the stock to the soup: Adding the vegetables: Adding the caraway: Adding the dill and cream: Dinner time! Soup + bread … is there anything better? 4.9 from 11 reviews I was recently listening to a Milk Street podcast and heard Sara Moulten mention that she never thickens soups with flour, preferring instead to purée a portion of the soup. If you have an immersion blender, this will be easy. Otherwise, you could ladle a few cups of soup into a food processor or blender. I love this idea, especially if gluten intolerance is a concern. Will try it next time, though I have no problem using flour, and don’t find it adds an off taste or texture to the finished soup. Re stock: When I made this most recently, I found the stock yielded 2 quarts, all of which I used here, along with 2 more cups of water. So, if you don’t have a full 10 cups of vegetables stock, using a mix of stock and water will work just fine. I’m not sure why the recipe calls for submerging cabbage in boiling water for one minute, but I suspect this step helps rid the cabbage of some of its water content, which can be stinky, and which might therefore cloud the flavor of the broth. Note: This is a double recipe, and it yields a lot, but it’s so nice to have on hand, especially, if you have company arriving. With a little hunk of fresh bread, it makes the most wonderful lunch, and with a salad, a perfect dinner.
