With fall right around the corner we start to concentrate on recipes that are heartier and full of nutrition. Here is a recipe for a soup that actually can be an entire meal, with just adding a side of bread or rolls to accompany the soup.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup:
This is not that difficult a recipe to make. The main secret is to cook the soup on the top of the stove at a very low temperature, for a fairly long time period, making sure that all the ingredients blend well together and become soft and the soup thickens.
I have had many people tell me that this recipe is definitely like one their Grandmother used to make, many years ago.
1 can of tomato juice 64 ounce size ( a special note here, I prefer using Campbell’s tomato juice, this is just a preference)
2 medium to large heads of green cabbage
1 beef marrow soup bone ( if you cannot find a large beef soup bone, than you can use a few smaller ones)
2 large onions
2 large cans of diced tomato pieces
salt
pepper
brown sugar
water
You need a large Dutch Oven to put all of the ingredients in when they are all prepared and ready to cook. I use a large pot that I have been making soups and sauces in for many years. You also want to make sure that the pot you are using also has a lid for it as well.
First you need to wash and dry the green cabbage. Take the center core out of each head of cabbage and discard it into your trashcan. Next cut the cabbage into slices, keeping in mind that the soup is going to cook over a slow heat for many hours and the cabbage will begin to soften and break apart some. I generally cut the cabbage in half and than in quarters and than shred it into slices. Place the cabbage into the pot.
Now peel and slice the 2 onions. I prefer to slice the onion instead of dicing them. Of course this is a preference and it depends on how you really feel about onion and if you want it to be in larger pieces or diced when you eat the soup. I just prefer the slices, and feel that it adds more body to the soup. It does not make a difference in cooking the soup if you dice the onions into smaller pieces or into slices. Place the onion pieces into the pot with the cabbage that you have shredded.
Rinse off the beef soup bone(s). Again as noted above it depends on how large of a soup bone you can get at your grocery store. If a large bone is not available than a number of smaller bones will work as well. You are using the flavor of the marrow in the bones to enhance the soup mixture. Place the soup bone(s) into the pot. Make a well in the center of the pot containing the shredded cabbage and onion slices and place the bone down into the center. If you are using a number of smaller bones, than make space between the cabbage and the onions and place all of the smaller bones in and around the pot. Once the soup is cooked you will be removing and discarding the soup bones.
Add the 2 cans of diced tomato pieces and mix them among the rest of the mixture already in the pot. Make sure that you also use the juice that is in the can that the tomato pieces came in and mix this into the rest of the mixture as well. Now add the large can of tomato juice to the rest of the mixture. An important note here, if you see that the juice in the pot does not cover all the ingredients, which it generally does not, than add water to the ingredients in the pot making sure that all the ingredients are now covered with liquid. Stir all of this around thoroughly.
Add the salt and pepper into the mixture in the pot, again this is depending on your taste. I add about a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of pepper since we are cooking this in a large pot. The salt is also depending on taste as well. I generally do not measure the salt. Using a box of salt I put in a few good shakes of the salt. One of the main secrets in making this soup since it is a sweet and sour cabbage soup, is the amount of brown sugar. I add at least a cup of brown sugar to the mixture. Stir the spices around and once the soup has been cooking for awhile you need to taste the soup and see if you need to add more salt, pepper or brown sugar to the mixture. It should have a slight tang to it as well as a sweetness when you taste it. If you feel that it needs more spices according to your taste buds than add the additional salt, pepper and brown sugar and continue cooking over a fairly low heat.
If you wish this recipe to have meat with it you can do that by purchasing and adding a tender cut of beef that will cook along with all the other ingredients that you have placed in the pot as well. Some people prefer to pan saute the meat lightly searing it on all sides and than placing it into the pot with all the other ingredients to cook. I have used a lean cut of stew beef and just placed it directly into the pot with all of the other ingredients without searing it. It actually is your preference. I also generally make this soup just using the beef soup bones and not adding any additional meat for it is healthier that way as well.
Once all the ingredients are added into the pot, bring the contents to a boil. Remove any soup scum from the top of the pot and throw it away. Lower the temperature to a fairly low heat. Cover the pot with the top slightly ajar. Continue to cook the soup for a good number of hours at a low heat, making sure that you stir the soup fairly often to check the consistency. You will be able to tell when the soup starts to look ready, as it thickens and the vegetables become very soft. Serve the soup piping hot and add some home made bread or rolls along with the soup and you have a wonderful, healthy fairly inexpensive meal to enjoy. This soup also can stay in the frig for a few days or it also freezes well to be used at a later date. I hope you enjoy this soup on a cold fall or winter night for dinner.
