Cabbage Soup #2

This is a from-scratch cabbage soup that starts by making its own broth. Stewing beef simmers for two full hours with peppercorns, bay leaves, and oregano until the meat is fall-apart tender and the water has transformed into a deep, beefy broth. Everything else builds on that foundation.

After straining and skimming the fat, the cut-up meat goes back in with tomatoes, green beans, carrots, and onion for the first round of simmering. The cabbage goes in last and gets its own 30 minutes. Adding it at the end keeps the cabbage from turning to mush and lets it retain some texture and its bright, slightly peppery flavor.

Using whole peppercorns instead of ground pepper during the broth stage is a deliberate choice. Whole peppercorns release their heat slowly over the long simmer, adding warmth without the sharpness that ground pepper can bring. Straining the broth removes them before the vegetables go in.

Kitchen Tips

• Skim the fat after straining the broth. A fat separator makes this fast, or chill the broth and lift the solidified fat off the top
• Cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Large chunks take too long to soften and are awkward to eat
• Use bone-in stewing beef if available. The bones add gelatin to the broth and make it richer
• This soup gets better overnight as the flavors deepen. Make it a day ahead if you can

Variations

• Add diced potatoes with the first round of vegetables for a heartier soup
• Stir in a can of white beans during the last 15 minutes for extra protein
• Add optional crushed red pepper flakes as the recipe suggests for a spicy kick