Video Episode #5: "Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup"
Soup, soup, soooouuup! Is there anything else that restores the soul better than soup? I think not. This particular recipe has some neat 'secret ingredients' that I gleaned from my efforts with Asian cooking and they make all the difference in terms of enhancing the flavor. Also, if you're new to cooking, this will test your knife skills so be patient and be careful! Lastly, it takes a bit of time to get the whole thing done, especially if it's your first time, so be sure to set aside an hour+ to make this bad boy - it is definitely worth it!
Watch the video to get the idea of how to do some of the special techniques and use recipe below either online, downloaded or printed to help you during the process. Enjoy!
Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup:
Hardware:
- Dutch oven
- Large wooden spoon for stirring soup in Dutch oven
- Cutting board
- 6" to 7" chef's knife
- Scraper
- Spoons (for ingredients and tasting)
Ingredients:
- 1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- 12 oz pre-cooked, smoked kielbasa cut into 1/4" rounds
- 1/2" tsp of ground black pepper
- 1 heaping tsp of garlic chili paste
- 1 heaping tsp of minced ginger
- 1/2 head of cabbage, cored and cut into 1/4" strips
- 64 oz (2 containers) chicken broth
- 1 tbsp of coarse brown mustard
Process:
- Put Dutch oven over medium-low heat
- Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil into Dutch oven
- While that's heating, cut the Vidalia onion into thin slices, put onions aside in medium bowl
- Smash 4 - 6 cloves of garlic with the side of your knife (see video) and then finely chop
- Sprinkle approx. 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt over chopped garlic and press salt into garlic, making a paste (see video)
- Carefully place onions into hot Dutch oven and season with a pinch of Kosher salt
- Scrape up garlic paste and mix in with simmering onions
- With onions continuing to simmer (check and adjust heat to make sure they aren't burning), cut kielbasa into 1/4" rounds.
- Add kielbasa into pot
- Season with ground black pepper
- Add garlic chili paste
- Add minced ginger and stir to incorporate newly added ingredients, continue to simmer!
- Cut cabbage into 1/4" strips (see video) and add into mixture.
- Add chicken broth
- Add coarse brown mustard and stir
- Raise heat to high until soup starts to boil
- Reduce heat to low and cover soup while it simmers for 45 minutes.
- EAT SOUP!!!