What do you get when you fill a room with fiddlers, a band of folks in cowboy boots and a first-rate excuse to try your hand at square dancing? Why, it’s the Holland Marsh Hoe-down of course, an event held on January 28th to celebrate the Greenbelt’s 5th birthday and the fantastic contributions of farmers in the Holland Marsh! My duties left me lingering near an assortment of soups, laid out lovingly by their proud owners themselves. I couldn’t peel my eyes away from one mysterious soup, a rich purple broth which ultimately carried surprisingly rich flavors of carrots, cream, and garlic. But with the soup’s mastermind sworn to secrecy on his family’s purple carrot soup recipe, I had to look to a friend for some inspiration for a different kind of soup.
Thanks to our good friend, Gwen Young, I quickly filled the purple-soup void in my heart with a delicious recipe for cabbage soup which she submitted to our website.
Are you a cook? Or are you a kitchen novice, like me, who enjoys experimenting with food? Do you love to explore farmers’ markets, to grow your own fruits and veggies, or to scour the city for locally produced food? As a part of the Greenbelt’s 5th anniversary events, I want to hear from you! On February 28, 2010, which marks the anniversary of the Greenbelt’s creation, I will pick my top 5 favourite recipes from your submissions, to post each day of the week to the blog. Recipe submissions can be sent to [email protected]. So embrace your local countryside, and get cooking!
Recipe submitted by: Gwen Young
The great thing about this recipe is that it is a simple base recipe that is flexible and versatile. It is a great soup to use up veggies in the fridge, or for a heartier soup, try adding white beans, barley or cubed beef. Crunchy croutons or shredded cheese make a nice topping as well.
Last week I made a huge pot of this soup to last me nearly a week. I had some mushrooms in the fridge, so I threw them in the pot, and I made barley as well, and added it to the soup before eating. The trick is to keep the barley and soup separate to avoid the barley getting overly bloated.
New Years Cabbage Soup
2 tbsp olive oil
5 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ a head of cabbage, cut into ribbons
2 bay leaves
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 large cans diced tomatoes
4 cups veggie broth
Hot sauce, to taste
- Heat oil in a large pot.
- Carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and let cook a few minutes.
- Add cabbage, bay leaves and thyme. Let cook a few minutes.
- Add tomatoes (with liquid) and broth.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer soup until cabbage is soft, but still has some bite.
- Add hot sauce to taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Thanks Gwen!
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