Mom's Polish Cabbage Soup

Oh man, am I excited about this one. I can't even convey it to you over the internet. You see, that "Mom" in the title of this post is not an abstracted standard of home cookin,' but rather actual Mom, the woman who gave birth to me and Erica. In case you don't know, she is a really fantastic cook, and our interest in food definitely comes from her. (Our dad is interested in food too, but his passion is more on the consuming side than the preparing side.) When we were growing up, our mom used to make this amazing cabbage soup as part of her regular winter soup rotation. It was very simple: onion, lots of cabbage, beef broth, bacon and rice. I remember how the little bacon bits got juicy in the soup, and how the wild rice blend my mom always used added an interesting texture. But once we went veg, this was just one of those things we figured we'd never see again. Sure, we can veganize muffins and marinate tofu with a marinade originally intended for scallops, but such a simple soup, so reliant on strong beefy and smoky and bacony flavors? No way it would have the same punch.

Well, my friends, I am here to tell you: yes way.



Sorry the pictures are so ugly, but this is pretty much stewed cabbage, after all. My veggie version, while of course not exactly the same, tastes similar enough to mom's original to transport me back to those family meals. It's delicious and just the perfect thing on a cold winter night, especially with some crusty bread, the way our mom always serves it. Since the flavor is so reliant on the broth, make sure you use a good stock. As usual, I recommend Better Than Bouillion. Or you can make your own if you're badass.

Cabbage Soup

Ingredients

1 good size yellow onion, chopped
1/2 a medium size green cabbage, shredded or chopped into strips
3 cups veggie broth
3 cups mushroom broth
7 strips fake bacon (Morningstar is best, but it's not vegan)
1-2 cups cooked wild rice blend
1 parmesan rind (optional)
Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

Directions

First, put a great big pat of butter or earth balance in your soup pot. You're going to carmelize the shit out of those onions; that'll really give the soup some flavor. Stir them around over medium heat for a while - it could take 20 minutes or so - until they get brownish and smell awesome. This is not the place to be stingy with your butter or butter substitute. Cabbage is super good for you anyway so we need to counteract some of that.
Then you can add the cabbage and the stock. If you have a parmesan rind, throw that in too; it will add a real depth of flavor to the soup. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. This is a good time to cook your faux bacon, and crumble it into small pieces (though they don't have to be tiny). Simmer the soup until the cabbage is tender and translucent. Then stir in the bacon and rice, turn off the heat, and remove the parmesan rind, if using.
Stir some grated parmesan or nutritional yeast into your bowl; experiment with how much you like. Whichever you choose, I don't recommend skipping this; the richness it brings is important to my memory of this soup.

Last night I had mine with an apple salad. Cabbage and apple are a classic combination, or so searches on Epicurious would indicate.

No-Chicken Noodle Soup - it's convalesilicious

Yeah, I know, like you need a recipe. But in case you're not great at coming up with your own step-by-steps, or you just don't like to think, I present to you my imprecise yet fool-proof recipe for flavorful, chickeny, virus-fighting vegan chicken noodle soup.

Of course, you can use any kind of chicken substitute and stock you wish, but I highly recommended Better Than Bullion's No-Chicken Stock, which comes in a little jar at Whole Foods and places like that. And for the chicken, nothing is better than Morningstar's " chik'n " strips, which unlike many Morningstar products, are vegan.



This recipe makes a few helpings for 4 people. You'll need:

- 2 quarts of water
- 1 package Morningstar Farms Chickeny Chikkers strips (not really called that. In the freezer section)
- About half a big white onion, chopped
- A few cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tbs dried parsley (or replace with about half a bunch of fresh parsley
- 3-5 carrots, according to preference, cut into thin rounds
- 3-5 celery stalks, chopped
- Soup noodles - not good at measuring this, so I'll just say, as much as you think is appropriate
- Black pepper, maybe some salt

Directions:

1. Bring your stockpot to boil with the water, onion, garlic, and a few tbs of stock-goo (might want a little more than the jar tells you to use for two quarts of water; taste it as you go).

2. While the stockpot boils, you can make the pasta and "chicken." The chicken strips should be sauteed in a pan in a little oil until they really start to brown. Remember, it's not actually meat, so don't worry about them getting overcooked. As they get soft in the pan, you can break them up into smaller, more soup-appropriate pieces. When they're ready, you can put them right in the soup. They'll benefit from cooking in the stock as long as possible.

3. Cook the pasta until it's just a little too al dente. Cover it, but don't worry about it getting cold; it'll finish cooking and heat up again in the soup. As for types, I highly recommend any small, curly, hollow noodles. The holes fill up with broth when you eat the soup, which is delicious. I don't remember the name of my favorite, but you can see it, along with a piece of fuseli, below.



3. Once the soup boils, add the dried herbs and the carrots and simmer for about 5 minutes (if using fresh parsley, don't add it yet).

4. The chickens should be in by now. You can add the celery at this point and simmer the soup for 5-10 more minutes. It's really about your preference for how crunchy the carrots and celery are.



5. Duing the last few minutes of cooking, throw in the pasta. Taste a piece to make sure it has been cooked to your desired consistently.

6. Just before you turn off the heat, stir in sprigs of fresh parsley (if using). Serve and eat while watching cartoons.

Here you see my friend and roommate Klaus eating his soup in the comfort of our disgusting living room.



All gone!

Vegan Portuguese Kale and Soyrizo Soup!

This veganized recipe from Epicurious may change your life, along with your friends' feelings about vegan cooking.


Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
3/4 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
4 cups veggie stock (I use Better Than Boullion No-Chicken Stock)
1 package Soyrizo
8 cups chopped kale, packed
1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes (or Red Bliss, in a pinch), chopped into 1-inch cubes


Directions:
In a large stockpot, cook the garlic, the onions, and the carrot in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Add the russet potatoes, the broth, and 4 cups water. Bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Puree the stockpot contents with an immersion blender (or transfer to a regular blender if you don't have an immersion blender).

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the soyrizo in a skillet over moderate heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Add browned soyrizo and cubed Yukon Gold potatoes to stockpot, cook till potatoes become slightly tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped kale and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until kale has become wilted--then serve!