Chef Mik's Cabbage Soup with Sausage and Zucchini

I love cabbage soup and there are just so many variations sometimes it can be mind boggling. Be it vegetarian, with meat or ground meat, with fish, with sausage, with frikadeller, with beans, with potatoes, with rice, with wine, with beer, with whiskey, or spicy with chili or horseradish, served with bread, aioli or crème fraîche. However you like it there is a recipe somewhere out there that’s got your name all over it! Add to that they are so easy to make and are perfectly suited if you need to make a last minute substitution. Today for example I am using zucchini but you could easily use cauliflower instead which like cabbage is in the cole crops belonging to the species Brassica oleracea as do broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi to name but a few. all of the above you add or combine in some fashion or other to suit your fancy. In essence using the same base you could change up your cabbage soup to fit whatever season holiday or occasion you want!

Shopping List

White or green cabbage

Onions

Celery

Zucchini

Cabbage

Garlic

Cannellini beans

Kielbasa or other smoked sausage

Vegetable broth or stock, homemade or store bought are fine, you can also use chicken

Diced tomatoes, store bought is fine

Spices: thyme, cumin, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, bay leaves

Salt and black pepper

My Mad Method

Ready to eat!!!

Infuse about 3 sliced garlic cloves in 2 or 3 TBSP olive oil

Add onion diced and 3 stalks sliced and sauté for 5 minutes

Add 3 medium sized potatoes and 2 medium zucchinis diced and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes longer

Add spices: 1TBSP dried thyme leaves, 1 TBSP cumin, 1 TBSP granulated garlic, ½ tsp cayenne pepper and sauté 2 minutes longer

Add 1.2L vegetable broth, 1 can diced tomatoes and 2 bay leaves, bring to light boil skim the surface for impurities, simmer 15 minutes

Add 1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed, 1 kielbasa sliced, and 2 hand fulls shredded cabbage, simmer 15 minutes longer until cabbage and potatoes are done

You will know the potatoes are done and the cabbage will be done when it has wilted becoming softer

Ready to serve!!