How to Season Cabbage Soup

Whether you're making cabbage soup for its value as a hearty and nutritious vegetable, or making it as part of a diet plan, you can use a variety of seasonings to enhance the flavor of this comfort food. Turn cabbage soup into a hearty German dish, or flavor it with spices for a Cajun-style soup. Cabbage is nutritious and mild-flavored, so it lends itself well to creative seasonings for a variety of dishes. According to the University of Illinois Extension Service, cabbage may reduce the risk of some forms of cancer--including colorectal cancers--it's also high in beta-carotene, vitamin C and fiber.

Make Italian-style cabbage soup by adding just a few inexpensive ingredients to the basic cabbage soup recipe. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped herbs 
  
• 1/2 gallon of soup
  
• 1 tsp. fresh basil, chopped
  
• 1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
  
• 1 cup tomatoes, diced (fresh or canned)
  
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine
  
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced (fresh, cooked, or from jar)
  
•  1/4 tsp. fennel seed (raw or cooked)
  

Instructions:

1. Chop fresh basil and oregano very finely and add to soup.
2. Stir in diced tomatoes.
3. Add white wine--chardonnay or soave or even cooking wine will work.
4. Stir in garlic (for extra flavor, toast the garlic in a small skillet till it's golden brown before adding it to the soup)
5. Crush and stir in fennel seed --or toast it with the garlic before stirring it in. 
6. Let the soup simmer without boiling for at least 30 minutes to meld the flavors.
   

Create a German-style cabbage soup by first dicing fresh carrots and fresh red onions and stirring them into the warm cabbage soup. Fry ground pork sausage till it's crisp, then drain it on a paper towel and add 1/2 to 1 cup fried sausage to each 1/2 gallon of soup. Crush 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds and stir that in, and add a sprinkle of ground allspice. Let this simmer at least 30 minutes. Adjust the heat so the soup is barely bubbling, then mix 1/2 cup red currant jelly with 1/2 cup finely crushed gingersnap cookies and stir the mixture into the simmering soup. Reduce heat and let simmer slowly for five minutes before serving.

Spice up your cabbage soup Cajun-style with just a couple of additions.

1. Add fresh or cooked shrimp to the basic cabbage soup recipe.
2. Add some browned or grilled Andouille sausage.
3. Shake in a generous dusting of Cajun seasoning.
4. Let the seasoned cabbage soup simmer for at least 5 minutes before serving.
   

Make a Mexican-style cabbage soup by adding beans, salsa, green chiles, and cilantro. Here's what you'll need to add a little fiesta to your pot:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 gallon of basic cabbage soup
• 1 can of black beans (frijoles negrito)
  
• 1/2 cup green salsa (hot or mild)
  
• 1 small can of diced green chiles
  
• 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, finely minced
  
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin (season to taste)
• 1/2 tsp chile powder
• Cholula or Tobasco sauce, to taste

Instructions

1. Stir in can of black beans, and 1/2 cup green salsa for each 1/2 gallon of basic cabbage soup recipe.
2. Add in small can of diced green chiles and fresh cilantro. 
3. Season generously with ground cumin. 
4. Add a couple dashes of ground chile powder, or 1/2 tsp. for extra flavor. 
5. Add several dashes of Cholula or Tabasco hot sauce for extra zest.

• For a borscht-style cabbage soup with beets, serve with a spoonful of sour cream or a dollop of mayonnaise.

• Fat-free yogurt or canola oil-based mayonnaise is a low-fat substitute for sour cream.

• For any recipe above, add extra texture with 1/2 cup of VERY finely diced green or red cabbage simmered for five minutes before serving.

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