Che Cavolo! – Cabbage-Turnip-Leek Soup

The idea for this lovely soup came from one of my workmates who told me that he had made a tasty soup combining leeks, turnips and green cabbage. This is what I came up using those ingredients, and some more.





 
CHE CAVOLO!

half a small, green cabbage

2 medium-sized leeks

2 medium-sized turnips

small red pepper

3 cloves of garlic

fresh ginger

gluten-free bouillon powder

½-¾ teaspoons of cardamom

freshly ground pepper

sea salt

extra virgin olive oil

1. Peel the garlic and the fresh ginger, and chop them in small pieces.

2. Peel the turnips and cut them in smaller chunks.

3. Wash the leeks, the red pepper and the green cabbage and cut them in smaller chunks.

4. Put the bouillon powder, the salt, the cardamom, the garlic and the ginger into a medium-sized pot together with some water and bring to a boil.

5. Add the turnips, the leeks and the red pepper, turn down the heat and leave the soup simmering under a lid for about five minutes.

6. Add the cabbage, and leave the soup simmering until all the ingredients are soft enough to blend.

7. Blend until the soup has become a creamy puree.

8. Serve with extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground pepper.

Annika

Sweet Cabbage of Mine - Cabbage Casserole with Raisins

Another cabbage dish that I make several different variants of. Its roots can be found in what once used to be my favourite dish: "kaalilaatikko" ("cabbage casserole") - a traditional Finnish oven dish with cabbage, rice, minced meat and syrup.

SWEET CABBAGE OF MINE

5 dl of water
2 dl of green lentils
3/4 dl of red quinoa
a small green cabbage
5 dl of thinly sliced leek
1 small fennel
3 cloves of garlic
1-2 handfuls of raisins, depending on the size of your hands
gluten-free bouillon powder
1.5 tablespoons of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons of parsley
0.5 tablespoon of oregano
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
2 tablespoons of sunflower seed oil

0. Rinse the lentils and soak them overnight.

1. Chop the garlic finely.

2. Pour the water into a large pot and bring it to a boil.

3. Add the lentils, the garlic and the bouillon powder into the pot, adjust the heat to low, and let it simmer under a lid.

4. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage, cut the rest of the cabbage into short stripes and add the stripes into the pot together with the thyme, the parsley, the oregano, the pepper and the raisins. Mix well.

5. Wash the leeks and the fennel, slice the leek thinly and cut the fennel into small pieces.

6. Wash the quinoa well.

7. After the other ingredients have been cooked for a minimum of 20 min, add the leek, the fennel, the quinoa and the sunflower seed oil, mix the ingredients well and let the mixture simmer until the quinoa is ready (about 15 minutes).

8. Serve either hot or cold.

Medimix - Cabbage Stew with Mediterranean Herbs and Veggies

Cabbage makes for a great, healthy base for many dishes. It keeps much better than most other vegetables, so it's a good idea to always keep a cabbage in the fridge. Here is my latest cabbage dish. It was quick and easy to make and turned out so well that I'll definitely be making it again.





Medimix

1/2 medium-sized Savoy cabbage
1 yellow pepper
1 very large tomato (or 2 smaller tomatoes)
1 courgette
1 leek
6-8 large leaves of fresh basil
fresh dill
fresh ginger
3-4 cloves of garlic
sea salt
pepper
gluten-free tamari sauce

1. Cut the cabbage in half. Remove the exterior leaves of the half that you intend to use, and cut it in narrow strips.

2. Wash and cut the tomato, the pepper, the courgette and the leek.

3. Peel the ginger and the garlic, and cut them in small pieces.

4. Wash and cut the basil and the dill in small pieces.

5. Sautee the ginger and the garlic in sunflower oil in a large, deep frying pan or a large pot.

6. Add the vegetables, the herbs, the salt and the pepper. Mix well while keeping the temperature high. Then let the mix simmer until the cabbage is soft and until all the tastes have had enough time to blend with each other. As with any cabbage dishes, they only get better as the cooking times get longer (I think).

7. Add some tamari sauce and serve.

Annika