Savoy cabbage and potato soup
Each month we highlight the best of British seasonal produce in a delicious recipe for you to make at home, with this month’s star being the versatile savoy cabbage.
Like last month’s star vegetable, the brussels sprout, cabbage has also developed a bad reputation thanks to it often appearing as a pile of overboiled mush on our plates – but cabbages actually require very little cooking for them to taste their very best.
The savoy cabbage is another cruciferous veg which is rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, calcium and iron. They are also low in calories and high in fibre, and consuming crunchy veg like cabbages with your meals can help to protect against cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes.
Savoy cabbages are in season in the UK right now but only until around mid-March. Due to their long growing season, if you are wanting to grow your own cabbage at home you should think about starting the seeds very soon.
Savoy cabbage and potato soup
Serves 2
Equipment you will need for this recipe:
- Knife and chopping board
- Frying pan
- Saucepan with lid
- Hand blender
Ingredients:
½ a head of savoy cabbage
1 medium-sized baking potato
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
½ a white onion
800ml stock (we used a mix of chicken and vegetable stock)
3 rashers of streaky bacon
Method:
Begin by peeling and chopping the potato and carrots into 1 inch pieces. Peel and dice the onion. Chop the celery into 1cm thick bands.
Chop the savoy cabbage in half so that you have two quarters. Remove the thick white core from the centre. Slice one quarter into thin ribbons and put to one side. Roughly chop the other quarter into 1 inch thick pieces and add this, plus the carrot, potato, onion and celery into a saucepan.
Add the stock into the pan with the vegetables, but reserve around 20ml and keep to one side. Cover the saucepan with the lid and bring to a low boil. Cook until the potato and carrots are soft enough to blend.
Whilst the vegetables are cooking in the saucepan, chop the streaky bacon into small pieces and put these along with the remaining cabbage ribbons into a frying pan with a small amount of your preferred cooking oil.
Once the cabbage and bacon are coated with oil and the cabbage has started to turn a more vibrant green colour, add the remaining stock into the frying pan. Stir to ensure the cabbage and bacon are coated in stock and cook on a medium heat until the bacon is cooked to your desired specifications.
Blend the vegetables that have been cooking in the saucepan until they are fully combined with the stock and the soup is silky smooth. Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with the fried cabbage ribbons and bacon.
Serve immediately and enjoy!