This Soup is totally delicious!
In every sense of the word.
It is nourishing. It is simple to make. It looks good.
And it even satisfies the demands of a hungry meat eater boyfriend ?
Perfect!
So how did I discover this recipe?
I’d like to make out that this is a recipe that has been cooked by my family for generations. That is has deeper meaning. But that’s not the case at all.
It was just pot luck.
I had bought some Cavolo Nero (only because I was intrigued by its foreign name). On the other hand I was mighty scared by those huge dark leaves and, frankly, had no idea what to do with it.
After a few days of looking at the leaves guiltily (Why am I not eating them – greens are incredibly good for you, right!) I found myself hungry and “empty-fridged” in the kitchen, going through my options.
I knew if I was telling my boyfriend (JP) that I was making a soup with green leafy things, there was no chance he’d eat it (his fear of huge green leaves is even bigger than mine, I have you know).
So I had to act a little devious and disguise the Cavolo Nero – what better way than doing that in a soup?
Ain’t that looking innocent ?
It needed to be simple, as I didn’t feel like cooking at all.
And I wanted it to have a bit of protein in there to make it more filling.
Since JP’s mother had given us some slices of roast pork the night before I knew I could use that to mask the Cabbagy flavour in JP’s portion.
On the other hand I wanted to try out a meat free veggy version, too, though.
So I opted for cannellini beans, which worked beautifully, as it’s mild taste balanced out the rustic Cavolo flavour.
And once blended, you’re left with a filling thick soup that tastes absolutely gorgeous.
…and contains health boosting ingredients to boot.
This soup is also a great alternative if you can’t eat potatoes, because the cannellini beans give it a potatoey flavour.
Creamy, hearty, YUM!
Note for people on the Candida Diet:
This is a super soup – even for the initial stages of the candida diet when you’re not allowed potatoes or beans. You can easily leave out the beans and make yourself a quick & lovely soup just with leek, a bit of leftover roast meat or fish and a few leaves of Cavolo nero or Savoy Cabbage.
This is one of those soups that you eat and instantly feel comforted and rejuvenated!
- 2-3 small to medium sized cavolo nero leaves (or savoy cabbage leaves)
- 1 l stock (I used chicken, but veg works fine, too – or bone broth for extra nourishment)
- 2 leeks
- A can of cannellini beans (leave out if just started the candida diet)
- Spices for seasoning (I used salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic and tumeric)
- Olive Oil for frying and marinating
- Optional: 2-3 slices of roast pork (or roast chicken/ turkey).
- Optional: a touch of apple cider vinegar to tenderize and marinate the meat (if using)
- If using meat you could marinate it in a little olive oil, spices and apple cider vinegar and set it aside.
- Chop the leeks and cavolo nero into bite size chunks.
- Then fry the leek in a little olive oil, salt & pepper until golden and soft.
- Bring 1 l stock to the boil. Add all the veg and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Towards the end add the cooked cannellini beans (and the finely chopped roast meat if you like).
- Bring to the boil briefly and let it simmer for a few more minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Either serve as is or blend to make a thick creamy soup.
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I shared this post with Tasty Traditions, Wellness Weekend and Gluten Free Fridays – where you can pick up useful tips & recipe inspiration every week. I recommend you check them out.
1 Comment
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma)
March 28, 2013Wow, I love that you can enjoy this soup chunky or smooth! YUM YUM YUM Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest!
Thanks for linking back to the Gluten Free Fridays post!
Party starts tomorrow at 7:05 pm eastern time! Hope to see you there!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
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