Recipe: Caramelized Cabbage Soup with Cheese Toasts

CARAMELIZED CABBAGE SOUP

"This recipe was one of my favorite new cabbage discoveries, and it is a great way to make use of a lot of cabbage at once. I caramelize the cabbage as if it were onions, add a rich broth, and top it with cheesy toasts. It's sweeter and heartier than onion soup, and it's even turned a few people who thought they didn't like cabbage into big cabbage enthusiasts."


FOR THE SOUP:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
10 cups finely sliced green cabbage (1 large head)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 quarts chicken or beef stock
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE CHEESE TOASTS:
1/2 stale baguette, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese

TO MAKE THE SOUP:
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the cabbage and onion and cook, stirring often, until the cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is golden and shrinks by at least half, 35 to 45 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for a few more minutes.

Pour the stock into the pot, increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a low boil, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot and incorporate them into the broth. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pot. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the tamari and season with salt and pepper.

WHILE THE SOUP COOKS, MAKE THE TOASTS:
Preheat the broiler to 450 degrees F or medium-high, depending on your broiler options.

Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with the cheese. Keeping a close eye on the toasts, broil until the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes.

TO SERVE:
Serve the soup in big bowls, with a few toasts floating in each one.

Makes 2 1/2 quarts
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: Eating from the Ground Up: recipes for simple, perfect vegetables by Alana Chernila