Cabbage and Turnip Soup

 

One of the soups I’ve enjoyed returning to over the years is this Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup, originally adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special. I like the way I made it in the post, but I also varied it depending on what was on hand, especially when it came to the type of onion, the source of the creaminess, and the broth. What I put together recently was a decidedly different soup that still was extremely satisfying in an earthy kind of way.

It’s hard to characterize potatoes and cabbage as especially flavorful vegetables, but when I decided to add some turnips, it was more out of a need to use them than a way to enhance the flavor of the soup. For me, turnips don’t so much represent an absence of flavor as a flavor vacuum, one that can render other ingredients around it flavorless as well. That being said, it’s also hard to argue that turnips don’t mingle really well with other humble ingredients. Like cabbage and potatoes, for instance.

 

I really did enjoy the subtle bitterness of the added turnips here. They seemed to increase the cabbage flavor of the soup, lending a hand for once, rather than just sucking flavor away. It didn’t hurt that I based this version of the soup on beef broth, which brought more flavor of its own, and the garlic and caraway were great team players as well.

Rounding everything out with a generous swirl of sour cream, plenty of black pepper, and a good handful of nutty cheese (I used Comte, but Gruyere, a milder Swiss, or even cheddar cheese would be good) brought this possibly bordering on dull soup to delicious, creamy, sharp heights. The soup is pureed and the resulting thick and creamy bowlful is even better with an additional dollop of sour cream and more shredded cheese.

This version of a pureed cabbage and potato soup is still quite humble, but it’s totally delicious and hearty enough to be satisfying in the dead of winter, let alone these cool and dreary early spring days. I’m thinking that a brothy version with the veggies left whole, featuring young turnips and spring peas might be my next variation. It’s looking like the warm spring weather with its more delicate green ingredients may be a long time coming. Soup can warm us until then.

Cabbage and Turnip Soup with Beef Broth

This soup is great accompanied by Dark Rye Bread, Beer and Onion Rye Bread, or Rye Soda Bread

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups finely chopped onion

½ teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

4 cups chopped green cabbage

2 cups chopped peeled turnip

2 cups chopped peeled potato

4 cups beef broth

½ c sour cream, plus additional for serving

1 cup shredded Gruyere or Comte cheese, plus additional for serving

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and ¼ teaspoon salt. Saute briskly until the onions are tender, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and caraway seeds. Cook and stir about 1 minute.

2. Add the cabbage, turnip, potato, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook and stir for about 10 minutes or until the cabbage has wilted.

3. Pour in the beef broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low to low so that the mixture is simmering gently. Cover and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 30-45.  Stir occasionally and add some water if the mixture seems too dry.

4. Remove the pot from the heat and cool slightly. Puree the soup in a blender in batches until it is all very smooth. (You can use an immersion blender, but I find that the cabbage is still very fibrous if I do.) Add more water or broth if the soup is too thick.

5. Return the soup to low heat. Add the sour cream, cheese, and black pepper, stirring until the cheese melts. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper as needed. Serve with an additional dollop of sour cream and sprinkling of cheese if desired.

Makes about 8 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup, Celeriac, Potato and Wild Rice Soup, Curry Carrot Soup, Potato and Garlic Scape Soup with Chives

One year ago: Chocolate Cookie Butter 

Curry Carrot Soup

My winter CSA subscription has had my kitchen looking like Bugs Bunny’s Apocalypse bunker. There are so many carrots! But they’re absolutely fabulous carrots, wonderfully sweet, super fresh, consistently the best carrots I’ve ever had. It’s been a pleasure to collect them, really.

Back in January on a deep, dark, very cold evening, I invited friends for an informal gathering, complete with soup, biscuits, cookies (a version of these and some of these, unfrosted), and a viewing of a particularly stunning Rifftrax episode. I made gigantic batches of a basic vegetable soup and this delightfully orange, thick and creamy Curry Carrot Soup. To my very pleasant surprise, the Curry Carrot Soup was gigantic hit, and it disappeared rather quickly.

Since I followed my usual habit of just “throwing something together” without writing anything down, I had to try to piece together what I did later, and I think I came pretty close. I also put a few twists into the official recipe that were things I had meant to do, but couldn’t, like squeeze in some lime juice (I used a lemon originally, because it was all I had) and add more spice (I wasn’t sure what my guests would like.)

This soup is actually rather simple in construction, and really is mostly made of carrots. It is quite thick and very smooth and creamy if you blend it well, and you could adjust the consistency with more broth or water. It is vegetarian as it is, but you could use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth if you like. You could also increase the oil and omit the butter, and replace the cream with coconut milk or leave it out to make it vegan. I love the warm, earthy spice of lots of curry powder in this, but if you have a favorite homemade spice blend, so much the better. The seasonings and spice level can be adjusted to taste.

I had the absolute honor and pleasure of making several people happy with a big batch of this soup, and they will never know that this creation was inspired by a need to clean up a huge bunch of carrots. Oops, I guess the cat is out of the bag now. Or the carrots. The many, many carrots.

Curry Carrot Soup

Adjust the seasonings to your personal taste, or make this vegan by leaving out the cream and butter. You could replace the cream with coconut milk.

This recipe can be doubled. Just make sure you have a large enough pot to cook it in.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

2 teaspoons coarse salt

3 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons curry powder

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 cups vegetable broth or water

Juice of 1 lime

½ cup heavy cream or half and half

Sour cream or plain yogurt for serving, optional

1. Combine the butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted.

2. Add the onion, celery, and salt and saute about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent, but not yet browning. Stir in the carrots, curry powder and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook and stir 8-10 minutes, or until the carrots are beginning to get softer around the edges.

3. Pour in the water or broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook at a low boil for 30-40 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft.

4. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. In batches, carefully transfer the mixture to a blender. Blend until very smooth. Return the pureed mixture to the pot on the stove.

5. Reheat the soup gently over low heat. Stir in the lime juice and heavy cream. Taste the soup for seasoning, especially for salt and curry, and adjust as desired. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Cream of Carrot and Parsnip Soup, Creamy White Onion Soup, Spicy Carrot and Apple Soup with Coconut Milk, Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup, Potato and Garlic Scape Soup with Chives

Coming soon: Carrot Cake and Rye Soda Bread

6 Late Summer Soups

I’ve been making a big pot of soup at least once a week. I know, we often think of soup as cold-weather comfort food, but soup is also convenient to have around during busy times, no matter what the season. And, soup doesn’t have to be hot, either. I present here a list of 6 soups, hot and chilled, that are great at the end of the summer. They feature late summer ingredients, and, if made ahead of time, all can be satisfying centers of quick meals during busy times. I know, because I’ve taken advantage of some of them myself lately.

Just because it’s September and everyone is posting selfies with their paper cup of PSL, doesn’t mean it’s getting cold outside. If you need your soup to cool you off, make Gazpacho with the end-of-the-season tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. This version is light, refreshing, and a little bit spicy.

If you’re overwhelmed with summer squash, you can enjoy some in a bowl of Chilled Summer Squash Soup. This recipe features the yellow variety of squash, but I think green zucchini would be a reasonable substitute. The squash is cooked with carrot and onion in vegetable broth. The resulting mixture is pureed, chilled and enriched with yogurt.

If you don’t mind a little warmth, these last 4 soups are for you. Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup is rich and hearty enough to be a meal unto itself, with a thick slice of rye bread on the side. You should see plenty of fresh, sweet cabbages in the markets to feature here.

Chard Soup with Cilantro and Lime is a great way to use an abundance of leafy chard. I think you could substitute some spinach or maybe even kale for some of the chard if you like. Just be sure to include the perky combo of cilantro and lime to give yourself the flavor burst you deserve.

 

I’ve found September to be the month of bell peppers in my part of the world. Roast a few red or yellow or orange ones to feature in this Tomato and Roasted Pepper Soup. If you have an abundance of fresh tomatoes on hand, you can use them in place of the fire-roasted canned tomatoes in the recipe. Smoked paprika and lots of garlic give this soup a Spanish twist, but you can season up your tomatoes and peppers however you like.

 

If you planted herbs this year, and are now wondering what to do with them, you can make this White Bean Soup with Fresh Herbs. Just bundle up your well-washed herb branches (I particularly like sage, thyme, and rosemary) and tie them with some kitchen twine. Cook them with your beans and vegetables, then fish them out when the soup is done. Chop up tender herbs like basil and parsley to stir in at the end of cooking. Enjoy this soup with some Rosemary Focaccia.

Finally, this Black Bean Soup with Salsa is a great bridge from late summer into fall. It’s enough like chili to get your tailgating season into full swing. It’s really simple to make if you just pour in a jar of your favorite salsa, but you can saute fresh peppers along with the onions and stir in some fresh tomatoes, effectively deconstructing the salsa, and making fantastic soup. This hearty soup is great with cornbread (perhaps this Zucchini Skillet Cornbread, if you’re overrun with zucchini) or Cheddar Jalapeno Scones.

Soup doesn’t have to be for sick days or frozen days. A little planning is all you need for it to be the remedy for the dinner problem on busy days. And some late season garden abundance can make soup a simple and satisfying celebration of September.

Coming soon: Cheddar Bacon White Bean Salad!

One year ago: Rosemary Raisin Tea Cake with Lemon