If you feel like serving a soup that will make people go ‘wow’, then this spiced red cabbage will be the perfect recipe for you. The colour is so vibrant, it’s dazzling! And there’s not that many dishes you can serve that are quite this purple!
We always love to have braised red cabbage as one of the side dishes in our Christmas dinner. Crunchy, slightly bitter cabbage matches perfectly with sweet apple and warming spices like cinnamon and clove. So it wasn’t too much of a jump to translate this combo into soup. Although I have to admit I was a little bit reticent to do so because the colour is so strong. But once you get past that, the flavour is unmistakably Christmas.
From dark red through to deep purple, red cabbage attains it’s wonderful hues from a pigment called anthocyanin. You may recall me mentioning this in other blogs; anthocyanins are powerful phytonutrients with strong anti-inflammatory effects at cellular levels. And red cabbage is packed full of them.
All cabbages contain powerful nutrients that support health. A member of the cruciferous family, their high sulphur content (which makes them a bit stinky when cooked 😉 ) contain compounds like glucosinolates. These are known to have strong anti-cancer properties, more so than any other group in the cruciferous clan. Apart from that, you’ll find lots of vitamin C, potatssium, various B vitamins, calcium, magnesium and maganese. And compared to green cabbage, a heap load of polyphenols (anthocyanin being one).
As well as having anti-inflammatory anti-oxidant effects in the body, polyphenols have a positive impact in the gut too. Mainly in the microbiome – they love this eclectic, colourful group of compounds, converting them into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which themselves are consumed by friendly bacteria but also have a positive effect for us. I’ll be sharing more about this soon in my new book – Healing From the Inside Out.
There’s lots of different types of fibre in this soup as well as prebiotics in the onion, garlic and pectin from cooked apple. If you have IBS or find onions a little bloating or painful, sub for leek instead. Same for garlic – or leave it out if you prefer. The flavour will be slightly different but still gorgeous.
To help you absorb the awesome nutrients as well as cut through the strong cabbage flavour, serve with a squeeze of lemon juice. I find a drizzle of soya yoghurt not only looks pretty but enhances the flavour too.
I hope you give this gorgeous soup a try. It is a sumptuous feast that pleases the eye, tastebuds and tummy all in one.
Spiced red cabbage soup
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Finely dice the red onion. Peel and dice the potato. Remove outer leaves of red cabbage and core. Shred and rinse under a running tap. Slice and de-core the apple then chop (no need to remove the skin)
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of water in the base of a large non-stick pan. Add the onion, potato and bay leaf along with a pinch of salt. Saute on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the onion and potato start to soften.
- Add the apple and garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes then stir in the red cabbage.
- Grab a small square of muslin or spice bag and add the whole spices, tying the top tightly.
- Pour the vegetable stock into the pan. Add the spice pouch and dried herbs. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until all the veg are soft.
- Turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaf and spice pouch.
- Pour the soup into a blender jug and blend until smooth.
- Carefully pour back into the saucepan. Season to taste and reheat before serving.
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and swirl of soya yoghurt.
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