Bleak, cold days call for hearty soups made with ease. This recipe, “Kabisuppe” which means cabbage & rice soup originating in Sweden & Norway)) is from my friend, Liz Shenk, owner, with her husband John Shenk, of “12 South Inn Suites” in the 12th South Neighborhood of Nashville. Liz also cooks up some wonderful dishes from the most simple beginnings. A Cabbage & an Onion are the two main ingredients in this soup. Basmati rice & a generous pinch of Caraway Seed finish it off. With just a bit of work and very little time you will have one heartwarming soup for a wintry evening.
“How easily happiness begins by dicing onions. A lump of sweet butter slithers and swirls across the floor of the saute pan, especially if its errant path crosses a tiny slick of olive oil. Then a tumble of onions” (Excerpted from the poem “Onions” by William Matthews.)
Liz's Kabisuppe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter/1 stick
- 1 large onion, cut in large dice
- 1 medium head of Cabbage, cored & chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth
- Generous pinch of caraway seeds
- 1/2 cup Basmati rice
- Salt & Black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add in sliced onion and chopped cabbage. Cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent.
- Add the chicken broth & caraway seeds. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add 1 cup water if soup gets too thick.
- Add rice and cook another 15 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Taste & adjust seasonings.
Notes from Liz: Rice can be cooked separately and added to soup after it is cooked. This will keep the soup from getting too thick.
Eat well, stay warm. Be kind.
“Winter. Time to eat fat and watch hockey…..February, month of despair, with a skewered heart in the centre. I think dire thoughts, and lust for French fries with a splash of vinegar.” (From: “February” a poem by Margaret Atwood)