If you cabbage soup , there’s nothing you can do about it. People who grew up in the taiga cannot stand the iodine smell of sea fish - just like not every city dweller is able to tolerate the so-called shana spirit. And he is able to perceive all the delights of traditional cooking only in printed form, and when it comes to implementation, it is better to put it aside, away, into the fresh air.
However, I personally cabbage soup and even cook it from time to time. My version of the recipe is far from how my purely urban mother cooked cabbage soup , but also from how enthusiasts of the revival of old Russian cooking propose to cook it. More precisely, this is not even a recipe, but an illustration of my personal relationship with my native nature. Mainly with cabbage.
Special relationship with cabbage
Despite the fact that in alphabet books a head of cabbage always looks the same, in the real world it is always different. Green June cabbage is suitable, rather, not for soup, but for salad - although it is also suitable for soup, but it comes out so light and fast that the thought of cabbage soup does not even occur. The further into the summer and closer to autumn, the more significant the cabbage becomes, and by October it reaches its, as Mayakovsky did not like to say, its apogee. Dense, white, like cubes of refined sugar, heads of cabbage are suitable for cabbage soup made from fresh cabbage (besides jokes, one of the most epic dishes in the world) and for fermenting them. And this second opportunity opens the way into winter for the lover , and even allows him to survive spring without spinning. It is clear that each type of cabbage should be prepared in a special way, but there are some things in common. First of all, I always cook cabbage separately from everything else (well, that is, first; then, of course, I cook everything together). If the cabbage is young, then I cut the head of cabbage into eighths; if it is older, then somewhat smaller. I chop the autumn or winter head of cabbage very thinly. I place completely green cabbage in a large saucepan, add a couple of pinches of salt and enough cold water to just cover the cabbage. I put the saucepan on low heat, cover with a lid and leave until the cabbage begins to become soft; I don’t know how long it is, but certainly no more than fifteen minutes. Please note that the cabbage should not boil into a rag, but become only a little softer than fresh. If we are talking about mature and crispy cabbage, a ceramic or cast iron pot is required. I fill it halfway with shredded cabbage, add a little salt and pour cold water three-quarters of the way up the pot. After that, I cover the pot with foil, secure it tightly around the edge, and put the pot of cabbage in the oven, preheated to 110ºC. For three hours. In the case of sauerkraut, the procedure is approximately the same, except that there is no need to add salt, and the simmering time increases to six hours. Why am I doing this? Because it tastes better and is more convenient. Cabbage, when languishing, blooms with colors that you have never even thought of; potatoes, when placed in cabbage soup , do not become glassy; in the case of sauerkraut, you can add it to the cabbage soup gradually - you will agree, this is a very good opportunity to adjust the taste or consistency. Now that we have dealt with the most important things, we can move on to the rest.
Cabbage soup in a pot is a special topic
Helpful information
In the distant past, fresh cabbage was used to prepare cabbage soup. They began to add onions to the first dish, later - meat on the bone and without it, softened lard, and mushrooms. Rich people had the opportunity to prepare the dish using hearty options, but preferred cabbage soup made from sauerkraut.
People liked daily soups more. The technology for their preparation involved not only boiling the meat, but also simmering in the oven for a long time, about a day, which is why cabbage soup got its name. This is due to the fact that the dish was not considered ready-to-eat; it had to be infused so that each ingredient would give off its own taste. Only the next day it was served to the table. Cabbage soup was prepared for a large family in impressively sized cast iron pots. After they were infused, they were frozen to preserve them for a longer time. For lunch, they cut off a piece of the required size, heated it and poured it into plates.
Languishment is the main culinary sense
Cabbage soup can be cooked with meat, fish, or lean. Sometimes they even add smoked meats - your choice, but this is closer to hodgepodge. One way or another, all these things must also be welded. In my opinion, since we've taken the time to simmer the cabbage, there's nothing stopping us from doing the same with the meat - I use a five-quart saucepan for this, but lately I've been seriously considering buying a slow cooker, also known as a slow cooker. One of my friends claims that an unglazed clay pot is the best; it gives the cabbage soup a very special taste. I prefer beef brisket as meat for cabbage The meat must be washed, dried, all scraps trimmed off (the more qualified the butcher, the fewer scraps there are) and placed in one piece in a pan. To the meat you need to add onions and carrots (whole, but peeled), parsley root, and also, I beg your pardon, a bouquet garni (we talked about it in detail here, in the chapter “Broth for risotto”). Having placed all this on the bottom of the pan in as harmonious an order as possible, I pour in two liters of cold water - enough to cover the food with a palm-thick layer of water. The liquid level should not be higher than 2/3 of the height of the pan, otherwise it will splash out in the future, and under no circumstances should you add water here - the flow of the process will be irreparably disrupted. And put the pan on the highest heat.
When foam begins to stand out, I skim it off with a spoon. When the foaming stops, I cover the pan with foil, securing it tightly around the edges, and put it in the oven, preheated to 150ºC. The foil almost completely prevents steam from escaping and losing temperature, so after half an hour I reduce the temperature to 110ºC. After an hour, carefully remove the pan from the oven, remove the foil, remove the bouquet garni, remove the carrots, parsley root and onion with tongs, and instead put in a little chopped potatoes, about three. The choice of potatoes for cabbage soup is a separate topic; I prefer the high-starchy, crumbly varieties provided in abundance by the Belarusian peasantry. Then cover the pan tightly with foil again and place in the oven for another hour and a half. During this time, its contents will turn into a velvety, languid and incredibly fragrant stew.
Classic recipe for sauerkraut cabbage soup
Cooking dinner with this soup is a lot of fun - it's a surprisingly enjoyable experience. The classic recipe for sauerkraut cabbage soup includes beef. The broth will be tasty with both pulp and meat on the bone. To prepare delicious cabbage soup with sauerkraut and beef, you need the following ingredients:
- Potatoes - four pieces.
- Meat – 400 g.
- Onions, carrots - one piece each.
- Sauerkraut – 350 g.
- Fresh tomatoes - two pieces.
- Garlic – one clove.
- Herbs and spices - to taste.
What's next?
So, we have at our disposal meat that has been cooked to the point of incredible tenderness, a rich broth thickened with potatoes that have broken down into molecules, and stewed cabbage. Now you just need to put it all together and heat it for about thirty minutes on low heat. Some people like to add green beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers or just any greens to their cabbage soup - now is the time to do it. In my opinion, it’s enough to taste and, if necessary, add salt and ground pepper.
Cabbage soup is prepared in different ways, but the main thing is to know a couple of basic points
Cooking technology
A step-by-step recipe for sauerkraut cabbage soup includes the following procedures:
- The meat is placed in a pan of cold water, brought to a boil and cooked for two hours. The foam on top is removed periodically.
- The onion is peeled and finely chopped.
- The skin is removed from tomatoes, and the skin is removed from carrots.
- The tomatoes are crushed, the orange vegetable is grated.
- Peeled potatoes are cut into strips or small cubes.
- When the meat is cooked, you need to remove it from the pan, cut it into small pieces and put it back into the broth.
- The sauerkraut is squeezed out and placed in a saucepan with other vegetables prepared in advance. Everything is cooked for 10 minutes. Then the sauerkraut cabbage soup is infused. Onions and carrots can be fried if desired.
- Serve with garlic.
Important questions
It is widely believed that cabbage soup should be allowed to sit for at least a day - yes, this is true. In my opinion, this is generally true for all cabbage dishes. The second, no less well-known opinion, that it would be good to freeze cabbage soup and then reheat it, is complete nonsense. I froze it and reheated it, nothing changed. Is it possible to cook cabbage soup in chicken broth? You can, but buy a suitable chicken for the broth, it’s called “chicken for broth”. What is the difference between lean cabbage soup ? The fact is that you don’t waste time simmering the meat—vegetable broth in its longest form takes no more than an hour to prepare.
Is it possible to add pork to soup ? You can add anything, but then it may turn out that you are already preparing some other dish. For example, if you sprinkle millet into cabbage soup , they turn into Ukrainian cabbage (I really like it, by the way).
How to cook cabbage soup from fresh cabbage with beef
Ingredients:
- Beef meat - better on the bone
- Fresh cabbage - 1/2 velka (small)
- Potatoes - 5 pcs.
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Red beans - 1 pc.
- Salt - to taste
- Greens - to taste
Cooking method:
1. First of all, we wash the meat, remove the small bones that remained during the chopping process. Put it in a saucepan, fill it with water and put it on the fire. When boiling, remove the foam, add salt and cook for about an hour.
2. Meanwhile, peel the vegetables, cut the onion into large half rings, and grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Let it fry in a heated frying pan with oil. Then, add a little broth from the pan and leave to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Tip: If you don't like pale soup, you can optionally add a small amount of tomato paste.
3. Take out the meat, separate it from the bones and cut it into pieces, send it back to the pan. With cabbage everything is simple, we take the required amount, chop it and send it to the beef.
4. Peel the potatoes, cut them into small pieces and also place them in the pan, only after the cabbage has already boiled for 10-15 minutes. We open the beans and the contents of the jar are sent to the rest of the ingredients.
5. While the soup is cooking, we chop the greens. And when the dish is almost ready, add the pre-prepared dressing. If necessary, add boiled water to make more broth. Throw in the greens, bay leaf and leave to simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
Turn off the stove, let the soup brew for at least 30 minutes, pour into bowls and enjoy. Bon appetit.
How to properly prepare cabbage soup from fresh cabbage with meat
Ingredients:
- Chicken - 500 gr.
- Potatoes - 5 pcs.
- Carrots - 2 pcs.
- Cabbage - 200 gr
- Onions 2 pcs.
- Spices - to taste
- Greens - to taste
- Vegetable oil - for frying
- Creamy - 50 gr.
- Garlic - 3 cloves
Cooking method:
1. Prepare the broth, first of all, peel one carrot and one onion, cut in half. We cut the meat and cut it into pieces. Chop the parsley finely and crush the garlic.
2. Pour vegetable oil into a pan, place it on the stove and heat it. Then add carrots, onions, parsley and garlic, fry a little so that the vegetables begin to open, add the chicken to the vegetables, add the greens and add water.
Tip: Don't add too much water just yet, just enough to cover the food.
3. Immediately add salt, bring to a boil and add more water, cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat, do not forget to remove the foam during the process.
4. Meanwhile, we do the sautéing. Slice 1 onion and 1 carrot thinly. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan and place the slices, after 5 minutes add 50 grams. butter. Fry until golden brown and strain through a sieve to remove the oil.
5. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Shred the cabbage. Remove all unnecessary ingredients from the pan, parsley, onions, carrots.
6. Place cabbage and potatoes in the broth and add salt. When all the ingredients are boiling, add the sauté. Place on high heat and wait for intense boiling, close the lid, turn off the stove and leave for 10-20 minutes for the soup to infuse.
This is a super quick and very tasty soup, you can prepare it even if you only have a few minutes left to feed your household. Bon appetit.
History of appearance
The word “cabbage soup” (shti) comes from the Old Russian “sti”. This was the name given to any liquid high-calorie food. Cabbage stews began to be prepared in the 9th century, at the time when this vegetable was brought to Rus' and began to be grown. The dish quickly won popular love.
The “female spirit” was constantly present in the house. The cabbage soup had the opportunity to afford absolutely everything. They could be cooked in any season: in the summer with fresh cabbage, then in the winter with sauerkraut. And that's why they never got boring.
Did you know that in the 18th–19th centuries, cabbage soup was frozen in the manner of large ice spheres and taken with them on the road, and then chopped, heated and eaten?
Cabbage soup was cooked in peasant huts, on noble estates, and in royal castles. Wealthy layers of people could afford wealthy cabbage soup (with meat), and more ordinary people prepared, in most cases, a vegetarian option - empty cabbage soup. But regardless of what the ingredients were, the cabbage soup was necessarily simmered in a Russian stove. So the vegetables did not boil in boiling water, but little by little they revealed their taste.
Recipe for cabbage soup from fresh cabbage in a slow cooker
Ingredients:
- Meat - 500 gr.
- Cabbage - 400 gr.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Onions - 2 pcs.
- Potatoes - 6 pcs.
- Garlic - 3 cloves
- Water
- Salt, spices, bay leaf - to taste
- Vegetable oil - for frying
Cooking method:
1. Peel the onion and garlic, chop it into small pieces, shred the cabbage, and grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
2. Cut the peppers and potatoes as you like. Then place the carrots, onions, and garlic in the multicooker bowl, press the menu and select the “Frying” program.
3. Then we put the meat in the thicket, add chopped bell peppers, cabbage, potatoes there, salt and pepper the whole thing, sprinkle with dried dill, add water and set to cook on the “Soup” mode for 1 hour.
4. 10 minutes before readiness, add bay leaf and stir. The soup is ready. Place the meat on a plate and cut into portions.
The soup turned out rich, pour it into a plate, sprinkle with green onions. Bon appetit.
