Savoy Cabbage Soup with Parmigiano Crisp
It’s Savoy Cabbage Time
We can always count on savoy cabbage when the weather gets colder. It is a late autumn and winter vegetable. Its peak season in the Northern Hemisphere runs from November through April. Savoy Cabbage is thought to originate from England and the Netherlands. It’s not for the first time I am referring to the Netherlands when writing about the origin of a vegetable. The Netherlands, this small country is still famous for its agriculture. Grandparents, parents pass on the family farm to the younger generations without interrupting continuity.
Savoy cabbage has crinkled, crunchy, tender green leaves. It tolerates cooking very well, the leaves will not be pasty. They will retain their texture and shape. Therefore, savoy cabbage can be used in various recipes very well. For example in soup, stew, salad and many more. It has another very good feature. Fresh whole savoy cabbage can be stored in the refrigerator for long time, up to 6 weeks. I can confirm this, because I bought this cabbage in Hungary 4 weeks ago. And its leaves are still strong and fresh emerald green. I made a cream soup from the savoy cabbage with crispy bacon and parmesan crisps.
Crispy Bacon to the Top!
I really like crispy bacon strips and slices in soups. Look at my avocado cream soup and asparagus soup recipe. Bacon is a perfect choice. I buy organic bacon and check the label every time. Naturel or smoked, both are suitable. For this recipe I used smoked bacon. The smoked flavor of the bacon is well matched with the characteristic taste of the savoy cabbage. When you make crispy slices, fry them to golden brown then place onto kitchen paper towel to absorb the unnecessary fat. Wait some minutes and you will see the slices will be crunchy, ready to serve. I also used the fat that’s left in the pan after frying the bacon. I was sautéing the ribbons of the outer leaves of the savoy cabbage in that fat for 2 minutes. It tasted great.
Tip!
While the parmesan crisps are still warm, but not hot, you can curve and shape them very easily into a roll or other shapes.
Parmigiano Crisps – One of My Other Favorites
I don’t know anything simpler than making crispy Parmigiano. To make a sandwich is more complicated. Ok not really, I’m joking, both of them are very simple. Make heaps from the grated cheese on a lined baking tray and bake for 4-6 minutes in hot oven until golden. Set aside to cool down. It will be nice and crispy. That’s it! It is not only delicious, but very decorative on top of the soup.
Winter Staples:
Savoy Cabbage Soup with Bacon and Parmigiano Crisp
Ingredients
- 1 savoy cabbage about 1 kg
- 220 gram sweet potato cubed
- 7 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pcs red onion finely cut
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 pcs carrots finely sliced
- 2 pcs parsley roots crushed
- 1,4 liter chicken stock
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds ground
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper freshly ground
- 100 ml almond cream
- 200 gram Grana Padano or Parmigiano Parmesan, grated
- 100 gram smoked bacon cubes
- 12 slices bacon very thin slices (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. We need later for the parmesan crisps.
- Remove 5 nice big outer leaves of the cabbage, slice to 5 mm ribbons and set aside to use them later.
- Cut half the rest of cabbage and cut those halves in half, then cut the stem out of each quarter. Slice cabbage quarters into ribbons and set aside.
- Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a 4-liter soup pan. (Don’t worry, the cabbage will collapse during cooking and we will get about 2 liter soup at the end.)
- Sauté the onion on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until translucent.
- Add crushed garlic, caraway seeds and sauté with the onion for 1 minute. Don’t burn it, because its taste will be bitter.
- Add the cut cabbage, sweet potato, carrot, parsley root and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir constantly.
- Add the soup, reduce the heat to medium low, put the lid on and cook for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
- Take off the soup from the stove and use immersion blender to make the soup creamy.
- Add the almond cream and season with salt and pepper if it’s necessary.
- While the soup is cooking, the parmesan crisps can be prepared. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicon sheet.
- Make 8 heaps from the grated cheese and bake for 4-6 minutes, until golden. Set aside to cool down.
- Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and fry smoked bacon cubes on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside only the bacon in a small bowl, leave the fat in the pan.
- Fry bacon slices in same frying pan for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. 4-5 pieces in same time. Then place the slices on kitchen paper towel to absorb the unnecessary fat. (It’s optional)
- Put the set aside ribbons from the outer leaves into the same fat frying pan and sauté for 2 minutes, stir constantly.
- Preheat the soup if it’s necessary and serve to soup plates. Place fried bacon cubes and bacon slices (optional), sautéed cabbage ribbons and parmesan crisps to the top. Enjoy!