Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts Soup

How to prepare the cabbage and spices

1. If you are making cabbage soup in winter, or when fresh cabbage is not available, frozen cabbage works great, and it is sold all year round. You do not need to thaw it for the soup. Choose fresh broccoli that is dark green, with no obvious signs of seeds ripening, meaning no yellowing. In general, for any soup the vegetables should be of the highest quality.

2. Prepare the cabbage: peel the outer leaves off the Brussels sprouts, as they are usually dry. Cut the green florets off the broccoli, leaving a small piece of stem on each. Cut the remaining thick stems lengthwise into 2-4 pieces; they go into the broth.

   

3. Make the spice bag: put a peeled garlic clove, one bay leaf and a dried hot pepper into a sachet bag, a small pouch or a piece of thin nylon fabric. The pepper will not make the soup noticeably hot. Add 1-2 allspice berries, 10-12 mixed or black peppercorns, a pinch of fennel seeds and 0.5 tsp dried aromatic herbs typical of Mediterranean cuisines. Tie the bag tightly so the spices do not float out into the soup.

   

   It is better not to add all the spices straight into the liquid, because they will float around and end up in the bowl. In a bag, the spices give their flavor and aroma to the broth beautifully, and the bag is easy to remove from the soup. You can also make the soup with a minimum of spices, just salt and black pepper, which is enough, but for aroma I recommend cooking the broth with the spice bag.

How to make chicken broth

1. Prepare the drumsticks: remove any remaining feather stubs. It is better to put store-bought chicken for soup in a separate pot of water first and bring it to a boil. Drain the liquid right away and rinse the drumsticks under running water.

2. Put everything in the pot: pour in 1 l cold water and set it on the heat. Peel the potatoes and onion and put them in the water whole. Cut the peeled carrot lengthwise into fairly large sticks and add it to the water along with the broccoli stems. Add the drumsticks, the spice bag and a pinch of salt.

3. Bring the broth to a boil over medium heat, then simmer over low heat, covered, for 30 mins. Do not let it boil hard. By the end of cooking, a knife should pierce the potatoes easily.

   

How to boil the cabbage

1. While the broth of chicken and vegetables is cooking, prepare the broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Green vegetables quickly lose their color when boiled and overcook very fast.

2. In a separate small pot, bring water to a boil with 1 tsp sugar (5 g). Add the prepared broccoli florets and Brussels sprouts. Cook for 1.5-2 mins from the moment the water returns to a boil, then drain right away. To keep the cabbage slightly firm and crunchy in the soup, you can cool it with cold water.

How to finish the soup

1. Take the spice bag, onion and broccoli stems out of the finished broth, and remove the potatoes; the carrot stays in the broth. Take the chicken drumsticks out of the broth and remove the skin. You can leave the meat on the bone or cut it off, as you like.

2. Season the broth: add more salt and pepper to taste. If you like, add a little finely chopped fresh hot pepper. To tone down the heat so the broth is fragrant and only slightly spicy, carefully remove the seeds and the white inner membranes from the fresh pepper, since they contain most of the capsaicin.

3. Add the broccoli and Brussels sprouts to the gently simmering broth. Cook for exactly 1 min from the moment it starts to boil.

   

Serving

1. Put the chicken meat in each bowl. Cut the boiled potatoes into large pieces and add them to the bowl. Ladle in the soup, dividing the broccoli and Brussels sprouts equally.

   

2. Before serving, sprinkle the cabbage soup generously with very finely chopped parsley. I suggest serving it with very fresh white bread or a French baguette. Serve the soup hot for lunch and start eating right away.