Gotta use it up, wear it out
Today, in the spirit of no vegetable left behind, Iām using things up on my way out the door.
I have no market haul for you today, as Iām leaving for England in about half a minute. Instead of filling my chariot with cherries and Charentais melons yesterday, I was busy using up all the vegetables and mystery ingredients leftover in the fridge to give our house sitters enough space for their own culinary adventures.
So today, I give you cabbage soup which is admittedly an unexpected offering when itās 27Ā°C and looks exactly like something you would scrabble together from the bottom of the salad drawer. Please do not let its plain and unpromising appearance put you off. Itās not so improving as to be undelicious, and it may prove to be the yin to summerās ice cream sundae yang.
Bisous, see you at the weekend, when I promise I have something prettier for you.
End of the salad drawer soupe aux choux
Serves 4-6
20g butter
120g lardons or bacon, smoked or unsmoked, cut into 1cm pieces
1 leek, white and pale green part only, about 140g, thinly sliced and well rinsed
1 green cabbage, about 400g, finely chopped
300g new potatoes, well-scrubbed and halved, or quarter if large
4-6 garlic cloves, halved, any green germ removed and discarded, thinly sliced
1.5-2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
3 tbsp finely chopped chives
Salt and pepper
To finish: the bottom of the crĆØme fraĆ®che jar, or the pot of fromage blanc, and more chopped chives
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, warm the butter over a medium heat, add the lardons and sautƩ for a few minutes until golden. Scoop out half of the lardons and place them on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
Reduce the heat under the pan and add the leeks. SautƩ for 5 minutes.
Add the cabbage and potatoes and a generous pinch of salt and sautĆ© for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sautĆ© for a minute, then pour in the stock ā you want just enough to cover. Simmer for 20 minutes until the cabbage and potatoes are very tender. Stir in the chives, taste and season with salt and pepper.
Serve in warmed bowls, with spoonfuls of crĆØme fraĆ®che or fromage blanc, a sprinkling of chives and some of the reserved lardons.
Printable recipe
I do love a "clear out the veg drawer" soup. Pretty much anything is fair game to be honest if I get into that sort or mind set.
Buen viaje! I'm off to MƔlaga tomorrow, similar using up phase the past couple of days.