Irish Cabbage & Bacon Soup w/ Blarney Castle Sourdough Toasts

aka Proscrastination Soup - so worth the (unnecessary) wait. 

A few days ago, I mentioned my habitual practice of procrastinating  - especially when it comes to things that are quick and simple to make.  And I'm gonna go ahead and say those things are usually particularly tasty, as well.

This soup is one of those things.  I guess that mentioning it "out loud" must have given me the kick in the seat that I needed - because you're looking at a bowl of soup four weeks in the making (errr...waiting).  And two potatoes in the compost bin.  

Today, I finally called it lunch.  Thirty-odd minutes after I decided I was not letting more spuds go to waste.

Slightly sweet from the cabbage...slightly viscous (in a good way, not a gummy way) from the starchy potatoes...slightly meaty from the bits of pancetta...slightly tangy from the addition of sourdough toasts...slightly creamy on top from the blanket of melted cheese...

...100% comfort food.

(I don't know what little Charlie Bucket was so upset about.  Cabbage Soup makes me happy.  Well, okay, maybe not Cabbage Water Soup.  And maybe not every day.  Nevermind.  I get it.)

Irish Cabbage & Bacon Soup w/ Blarney Castle Sourdough Toasts

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: ~30 minutes

Keywords: soup/stew cabbage pancetta Irish

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 4 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 10 oz. diced pancetta
• 1 extra-large potato, peeled & diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 4-6 c. chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water)
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes w/ their juices
• 4½ c. shredded cabbage (~½ of a small cabbage)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

to serve:

• 1 (8 oz.) sourdough baguette
• ~4 oz. Kerrygold Blarney Castle Cheese

Instructions

Place the butter in the bottom of a Dutch oven (or large, heavy pot) over medium-high heat. Once it has melted, add the pancetta, potato, garlic, and onions; saute for a few minutes. Cover and allow to steam for 10 minutes.

Add the stock, oregano, and tomatoes with their juices to the pot, and bring to a boil. Stir in the shredded cabbage. Partially cover, reduce heat, and allow to simmer gently for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (you may not need salt if your stock or broth was salted).

Serve right away, or cool and refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days (soup only gets better with time).

If you are serving this right away, turn on your broiler while the soup is simmering. Slice the sourdough baguette into thin slices, slightly on the bias (diagonal-ish). Slice the cheese into ¼" slices. Set the baguette slices under the broiler, when they turn golden around the edges and a bit in the middle, flip them over. Once they've started to turn golden, lay a slice or two of cheese on each and continue to broil until melted.

Serve the soup with a few of the toasts on top and/or on the side.

note:

If you are unable to find pancetta, you can use bacon instead. However, I would cook it first (without butter), until the fat is rendered and it is slightly crisp. Scoop out the bacon onto a paper towel-lined plate and add enough butter to the bacon grease left in the pan to equal 4 tablespoons. Continue recipe with the first 10 minute steam of the veggies. Stir in the bacon just after the soup finishes cooking completely.

inspired by and adapted from Clodagh's Kitchen Diaries

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disclosure:  I am a member of the Kerrygold Food Blogger Network, but that in no way influences my love for Kerrygold cheese (I loved it before I was a member).  I bought this cheese with my own money.  All opinions are my own.

Midnight (or anytime) Skillet Breakfast

While I'm posting this awesome skillet full of breakfast-anytime food in honor of Mexi's birthday (today) and Father's Day (in 3 days), I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this just as much as the guys do.  People often look on this as man-food or a manly breakfast...in my house we don't discriminate. The "midnight" in the title comes from the need to fill your stomach after being out at the bars or pubs or clubs.  Back in college when I lived in the dorms and we had no way of cooking anything for ourselves, we always stopped for fast food...usually a Whopper or a Chicken Sandwich from BK.  All that grease surely helped to soak up some of the alcohol.  This meal is about a million times better in taste, smell, and presentation- and it will do the same job.  Sometimes we spend the summer days and summer nights outside, gradually lighting the fire and hanging out with some beers until all hours.  If we don't wind up roasting something on sticks while we're out there, we come in famished around eleven or twelve, and this will fix us right up.  But like I said, nobody has any qualms about frying this up in the daylight, either.

Midnight (or anytime) Skillet Breakfast

Gather as much of each ingredient as you'd like, per person and go with it...
adapted from The Naked Chef Takes Off

breakfast sausage, links or patties 

mushrooms 

tomatoes
Pancetta (or Bacon)eggs
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
salt
sourdough (or other good bread), sliced & toasted
hot sauce, for serving

Turn your broiler on.  Place a large, nonstick (I use cast-iron) pan over high heat.  Throw in your breakfast sausage (2 or 3 per person), halved if you wish for faster cooking. Once the sausages are about cooked through, throw in about a hanful mushrooms per person (halved or quartered if very large).  The shrooms will soak up the sausage grease, but if it seems not to be enough, then drizzle with a big of olive oil.  Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.  Throw a couple of tomato wedges (per person...or use some nice cherry tomatoes) in the pan.  Add a couple of slices of Pancetta (or bacon) per person.  Once the Pancetta has begun to crisp up, crack in the eggs in empty spots, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and allow to cook for another minute or two.  Slide the whole pan under the broiler to finish cooking the eggs.  Serve with some good toast and some hot sauce.

So, if you've got a meat 'n potatoes-type of man, why not wake him up with this on Father's Day this year?  Or send him to bed with it...

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IHCC: Pops is Tops!

Warm Bread, Pancetta, & Poached Egg Salad w/ Parmesan

I think that greens salads with warm components are probably my favorite types of salads to eat.  Give me a good Spinach Salad w/ a Bacony-Vinegary dressing...or a Salad with warm roasted squash & a warm maple-spiked dressing like my favorite autumn/winter salad...or even a salad in the middle of summer with some veggies or meat straight off the grill right on top of it.  That said, I like crisp, fresh salads, too...but salads tossed with warm things scream "full meal" to me!  This one is particularly satisfying with crunchy, chewy chunks of warm bread and salty crisps of pancetta over tender young greens and a warm, sunny yolk finding its way down through all the nooks and crannies.  Good Day, Sunshine....

Warm Bread, Pancetta, & Poached Egg Salad w/ Parmesan
adapted from Happy Days with the Naked Chef
serves 4

1 loaf Ciabatta bread (or another crusty, airy bread)
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced paper thin
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 slices pancetta
juice of 1 lemon
4 eggs (plus water & white vinegar for poaching)
4 large handfuls mixed baby greens & lettuces
Parmesan Cheese (part of a wedge)

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Cut bread into cubes then drizzle with olive oil.  Add garlic and season with some salt and pepper then toss it all to combine.  Spread out onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven for ~10 minutes, or until it has started to get golden edges.  Lay the slices of prosciutto on the tray with (or right on top of) the bread and cook another 5-10 minutes until everything is crisp.

Meanwhile, combine lemon juice w/ some olive oil (about 3 parts oil to 1 part lemon juice), then season with salt and pepper and whisk or shake to combine (I am partial to putting it all in a little jar and shaking it up).

Put a small pot of water on to boil and pour in a slug of white vinegar (this helps the poached eggs hold their shape).  Crack your eggs into a small dish or cup for sliding (one per dish/at a time).  Turn the heat down until it barely bubbles and carefully slide your eggs in one at a time.  Cook for ~4 minutes for a runny yolk.  Lift out with a slotted spoon and set it on a kitchen towel to drain.

Toss your dressing with your lettuces and the bread and pancetta from the oven.  Divide evenly among plates, then top each with a poached egg and use a veggie peeler to shave as much Parmesan as you'd like over each salad.

I am sharing this post with:
*IHCC: it's another POTLUCK w/ Jamie this week!
*Yeastspotting!