The one complaint about cabbage soup at home is the smell. The answer is not to overcook the cabbage: that rising sulphurous smell becomes noticeable after twenty minutes, so the cabbage should stay on the firm side. The cumin and lemon are not there to mask the smell either, but to balance it. A pinch is enough; more swallows the flavour of the soup.
Ingredients
For the soup
To serve
Method
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Fry the onion
Cook the onion in butter for 5 minutes until translucent.
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Open up the tomato paste
Add the paste and fry for 1 minute to cook off the raw taste.
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Add the vegetables
Add the carrot and potato and cook for 3 minutes.
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Add the cabbage
Add the shredded cabbage and stir for 2 minutes; the volume will drop noticeably.
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Add the liquid
Add the stock and the spices, bring to the boil and cook gently for 20 minutes.
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Adjust the consistency
The cabbage should be soft enough to bite through but not collapsed. Add hot water if needed.
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Serve
Serve with parsley and a wedge of lemon, squeezed at the table.
Tips
- Do not boil the cabbage for more than twenty minutes; both the smell and the bitterness arrive after that point.
- Do not squeeze the lemon into the pan. Acid toughens cabbage, while lemon squeezed on the plate gives the same taste without touching the texture.
- If you cannot get stock, add another teaspoon of butter to the water; cabbage soup without fat tastes thin.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.