I had some really great cabbage soup in Mallie Kyla's Café in Brooksville, Florida. I was with a group of women, and we discussed whether the base was chicken broth or what. The cook, name of Larie (LA-ree) came by the table and we tackled her. She said just to sautée the onion and dump the rest of the fresh veggies in. She was coy about the base. She said it wasn't chicken broth, but wouldn't say any more. I don't blame her. A successful recipe isn't something you give away.
Well, I'd just have to do it myself. I listed everything I could identify in the soup, and started from there. So Larie gets credit for the inspiration, and I get credit for the recipe.
Ruth's Cabbage Soup
1/2 of a small head of cabbage, coarsely chopped (4 c packed)
1 medium cooking onion, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 c of carrots, chunked
3-4 medium fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped
10 c of water
salt to taste (add towards the end of the cooking time)
1 T chopped garlic
1 T seasoned pepper
1-2 c thick slices pre-cooked turkey keilbasa
1. Sauté the onion in no-calorie baking spray until transparent
2. Add all of the other ingredients except the salt.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer until carrots are slightly soft. Add salt to taste.
4. Cook until carrots are soft.
5. Cool. Allow to sit overnight (refrigerated) before reheating to serve.
