Red cabbage soup with almond butter

I really love red cabbage – its fascinating colour, its shiny leaves, the bizarre inside. And it can be much more than overcooked pulp on Christmas Eve (as it sometimes is in Austria). Recently, I used it in a soup with almond milk and almond butter. The sweet and nutty flavour worked really well with the cabbage and the purple colour was crazy.

Credit: Susanne Zimmel

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• ½ (400–500 g) red cabbage, thinly sliced with a mandolin
• salt and pepper, to season
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 150 g parsley root, peeled, cut into 1 cm pieces
• 150 ml red grape juice
• 150 ml vegetable stock, plus extra, to taste
• 100 ml almond milk, plus extra, to serve
• 1 tbsp almond butter, plus extra, to serve
• 2 tsp mild apple cider vinegar
• toasted flaked almonds, red cabbage sprouts (see Note) and crumbled rye crispbread, to serve

Instructions

Place the cabbage in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and combine well with your hands. Set aside for 30 minutes to soften, then drain cabbage.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes or until soft, but not brown.

Add the cabbage and parsley root, then pour in the juice and the stock, ensuring the vegetables are just covered. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the cabbage is soft and tender.

Blend the mixture with a stick blender until smooth. Add the almond milk and more stock, if necessary – find the right texture for your taste.

Warm the soup, then add the almond butter and vinegar. Season with salt and blend again.

Divide the soup among serving bowls and top with a few drops of almond oil and butter, toasted almonds, red cabbage sprouts, crumbled crispbread and freshly ground black pepper.

Note

• Red cabbage sprouts are available from select greengrocers. Substitute other sprouts.

Recipe from ziiikocht by Susanne Zimmel with photographs by Susanne Zimmel. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.