We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12371-cabbage-potato-and-leek-soup?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Our modifications: first, instead of trying to caramelize the cabbage in the pot, we followed a tip from a commenter and oven-roasted it. After preheating the oven to 425, we quartered, cored, and julienned the cabbage, then tossed in a little olive oil, with some salt and black pepper. We spread the julienned cabbage in a single layer on two baking sheets and then oven-roasted until browned, stirring from time to time (about 15-20 mins). Second, to make up for the olive oil, we reduced the unsalted butter to 5 Tbsp. We melted the butter in a Dutch oven, then sauteed the leeks, adding the garlic midway. Then we added the oven-roasted julienned cabbage. Third, to make this soup heartier, we replaced the 4 cups of water with a quart (4 cups) of unsalted chicken stock. This means we used 6 cups chicken stock. Then we added the diced potato and the thyme (leaves only). We also added about ½ tsp marash pepper and 2 Parmesan rinds for umami. Fourth, midway through simmering the soup, we found the soup too thick and added 2 cups vegetable broth (for a total of 8 cups liquid). Finally, at the end of cooking we stirred in 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar. If you use vegetable stock and/or water and omit Parmesan, this recipe can be vegetarian. The flavor and texture of this soup evokes French onion soup. (Jan. 2020)
Note 1: Here’s a reheating tip – we have found that the soup thickens over time. To thin it out, we dilute the soup with additional no-salt chicken broth. We typically reheat 24 oz of soup, and we add 1/2 cup chicken broth to achieve the right texture. (Jan. 2025)
Note 2: We made another version with red cabbage, 2 potatoes, 2 leeks and 4 small shallots. For the 6 cups liquid, we used a mix of unsalted beef (1 cup), unsalted chicken stock (4 cups), and Better Than Bouillon chicken broth (2 tsp diluted in 1 cup hot water). After cooking, the soup tasted a little thin, so we added 1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable broth concentrate (undiluted), 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, ½ cup fried shallots, and about 2 tsp kosher salt (Apr. 2020).
Cooking Adventures 