Recipe: Cabbage Soup with Garlic Butter Croutons (using potatoes, carrot and onion)

CABBAGE SOUP WITH GARLIC BUTTER CROUTONS

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 pound lean salt pork, diced
3 large potatoes
4 small carrots
2 large onions
9 1/2 cups water
1 small cabbage
2 cloves garlic
8 Garlic Butter Croutons (recipe follows)

Melt the butter in a soup kettle. Add the salt pork and brown.

Peel the potatoes, carrots, and onions and cut them into large cubes. Add the chopped vegetables to the kettle and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the 9 1/2 cups water and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cut the cabbage in quarters and remove the hard core. Chop the cabbage and the peeled garlic very fine and add them to the soup. Simmer for 1 hour.

Mash the vegetables thoroughly and boil over high heat for 5 minutes.

Serve hot over croutons.

GARLIC BUTTER CROUTONS

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
8 slices French bread

Melt the butter in a small skillet. Add garlic and brown. Saute the bread slices in the butter until they are golden brown on both sides.

Makes 8 servings
Source: New York Times Bread and Soup Cookbook by Yvonne Young Tarr