Cabbage Soup with Ham and Vegetables
Total time: 60 minutes
Many vegetable soups use regular, white cabbage. I decided to make one featuring Savoy or green cabbage. With a slice of ham from the deli counter, this goes together quickly for a warming, winter meal. Stirring in a bit of cornstarch at the end gives the broth a more luscious 'mouth feel'. This is enough for 4 servings.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium potatoes
- 4 medium carrots
- 3 ribs celery
- 1 large onion
- 2/3 Savoy cabbage, 4 - 5 cups
- 10oz (300gr) baked or pink ham
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
- 6 - 8 cups chicken stock or water plus ham base
- 2 tbs cornstarch (maizena) dissolve in 1/4 cup water
Instructions:
- Roughly chop onion.
- Peel carrots; then slice by cutting in half the long way (in 2 or more sections) then into half or quarter circles.
- Peel and slice potatoes to a similar size.
- Slice celery, cutting the wide end in half lengthwise.
- Cut ham into small pieces.
- Remove dark green outer leaves from cabbage. Cut off a thick slice, avoiding the core. Lay flat, cut into 3 or 4 wedges, then thickly slice the wedges.
- Heat olive oil in a medium soup pot. Add onion and sauté until it starts to get tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add celery and sauté 5 minutes longer.
- Add ham and sauté briefly.
- Add carrots, potatoes, cabbage, herbs and stock. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, 30 - 40 minutes.
- To finish:
- Remove bay leaves.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water.
- Uncover soup and increase heat. When simmering hard, add cornstarch, stirring until it clears. Serve.