Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times - Mark Bittman [11]
CABBAGE SOUP WITH APPLES
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 40 MINUTES
THIS IS A CABBAGE soup with a difference; the apples add sweetness, crunch, and complexity.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced
1 pound trimmed and cored cabbage, shredded
10 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken or beef stock
3 Golden Delicious or other good-quality apples, peeled and cubed
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter and turn the heat to medium-high. When the butter melts, add the onion and cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables wilt and begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 5 of the thyme sprigs and cook for a few minutes more. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Add the stock and turn the heat to medium; stir occasionally as it heats. Put the remaining butter in a skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. When the butter foam subsides, add the apple pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Strip the leaves from the remaining thyme sprigs and sprinkle them over the apples along with a bit of salt.
3. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning; remove the thyme sprigs. Serve the soup hot, garnished with the apple chunks.
A NOTE ON CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUPS
IT ISN’T OFTEN that you can apply a simple formula to a broad range of dishes, but when it comes to creamy vegetable soups—whether hot or cold—there is one that actually works. The soups have three basic ingredients, and their proportions form a pyramid: three parts liquid, two parts vegetable, one part dairy.
The pyramid’s foundation is chicken stock (you can substitute vegetable stock or water, but the result will be somewhat less substantial). The middle section is any vegetable, or combination of vegetables, that will puree nicely and produce good body and flavor. The peak is cream, or nearly any other liquid dairy product—milk, yogurt, or sour cream (though some vegetables, like winter squash, are so dense that they create their own creaminess, reducing the amount of dairy needed in the final step).
To make four servings, the three-two-one measurement is in cups, conveniently enough, because a total of six cups is the perfect amount of soup for four people. Aromatic vegetables, like onions, carrots, or celery, which are almost always welcome additions, count as part of the vegetable portion, but seasonings like salt, pepper, herbs, spices, or garlic or shallots are extras and can be added pretty much to taste. Add seasonings that require cooking, like garlic and onions, with the vegetables. Those that do not, like herbs and spices, are best added before pureeing the cold mixture so they retain their freshness.
The recipes on pages 29-31 are basics—use them as templates. Here are a few more creamy vegetable soup ideas to try that follow the general guidelines:
• BEET Add some minced scallion or chive before pureeing. Puree with sour cream and garnish with chives and a teaspoon of sour cream per serving.
• SPINACH Start with ½ pound of leaves (remove thick stems). Cook quickly, adding a bit of garlic if you like.
• TURNIP AND PARSNIP Or turnip and potato. Cook with a small onion and some thyme.
• RED PEPPER AND TOMATO Peel and seed both before cooking. Puree with sour cream to thicken the mixture, which will be thin. Garnish with chervil (ideally) or parsley.
• CARROT Nice with a pinch of cayenne and a teaspoon or more of minced peeled fresh ginger, added after cooking.
• PEAS OR SNOW PEAS Make sure to remove the strings from snow peas. Cook with thyme or mint.
• CELERY OR FENNEL Cook a few garlic cloves along with the vegetable.
• ARTICHOKE HEARTS If you use canned hearts, simply puree with cold chicken stock; there’s no need to cook.
• TOMATILLOS OR GREEN TOMATOES Season with chili powder, puree