Kabisuppe ... Because It WILL Snow One of These Days!

You may think me crazy, but I promise you that this is my gift to you. This soup is a soup for a day when the snow comes down and you have to shovel or you want to go out and go sledding or you've been out Christmas shopping and want a nice warm bowl of goodness when you stagger back into the house.

Simplicity is the heart of this soup. The ingredients are right out of the peasant's tradition - cabbage, onions, rice and cheese, a chicken stock and just a bit of spice. But, oh! The combination is so tasty, heartwarming ... and satisfying! There is nothing sexy about this dish. It's just a case of slicing and gathering the spices, measuring out some broth, doing a gentle fry of the cabbage and onons, and then simmering and stopping the cooking process so that the spices can meld with the vegetables and broth.  Having a tangy cheese like Gruyere or Swiss finishes the experience. So yummy!

 I am making it for dinner this evening because, while it will not snow tonight, it is going to be really chilly.  I have started a fire in the kitchen woodstove for only the third time since last winter.  Tonight, Kabisuppe feels right to me ... and I crave that cheesy first bite. When I used to make this for the kids on a snowy day, I would cut a French bread length-wise down the center. I would put layers of provolone cheese,  good hard salami, and  more slices of provolone cheese on to the bottom layer, sprinkle with A LOT of black pepper, cover the sandwich with the top bread layer, wrap it in foil and bake it in a hot oven until the cheese started to melt. Then, I'd remove the top section of foil and let the top crust crisp up. We'd slice the 'sandwich loaf' on the diagonal and have the slices with the Kabisuppe. My goodness! It was wonderful!

I won't make the salami and provolone loaf  tonight. I'll save that for the first big snowstorm... and I won't say that I can hardly wait. It's only October! I'm just preparing you for what's to come ... my gift to you!

Kabisuppe - printer friendly

Kabisuppe

Cabbage and Rice Soup

courtesy of Yankee Magazine’s Great New England Recipes

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter
1 lb. cabbage, shredded
1 c. thinly sliced onions
6 c. homemade chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
scant ¼ tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
½ c. basmati rice
1 c. Gruyère cheese, grated
chopped parsley for garnish

Making the Soup:

1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot.

2. Rinse cabbage and add to the butter along with the onion slices.

3. Toss and cook over medium heat until the cabbage wilts and the onions become semi-translucent.

4. Add the broth, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and simmer covered for about 10 minutes.

5. Add the rice and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

6. Grate the cheese and have it on the side for topping the soup.
7. Serve or turn the heat off and leave covered to let the spices work further.