Another Jamie Oliver Delight!

I have said it before, and I will say it again -Jamie Oliver is amazing. I strongly feel as though his recipes are under appreciated and seldom made, despite how outstanding they are. As of late, I made Jamie's "Italian Bread and Cabbage Soup with Sage Butter" which I saw on his show last year. I fell in love with the unusual preparations and ingredients used in the soup, and didn't get to trying it until just this weekend.

I will admit, I was not completely at ease when making this recipe. The cabbage and kale in the soup is boiled for a few moments in stock. Later on in the recipe, that very same stock is used again as the soup base. However, as I stared into the Dutch oven full of steaming "cabbage broth," I couldn't help but think that I ultimately might be having something else for dinner that night. I proceeded with the recipe though. The sautéed pancetta and anchovies made me feel a little better as a I went along, and the addition of the cheese between the layers of bread and cabbage provided even more hope for this dish. I popped the soup into the oven and sat back while dreading the insipid broth and soggy bread that I anticipated this recipe to have.


As you may already have guessed, I wouldn't be writing about this recipe had it not been even moderately good. In actuality, it was the best thing I ever made. I pulled the soup out of the oven, and to my surprise, the soup was golden brown and crisp on the top...very good sign. I then spooned into the soup to find that it almost resembled a very moist bread pudding. As the recipe described in my "Jamie at Home" book, the soup was more along the lines of an English Bread and Butter Pudding. Well, Bread and Butter Pudding or not, this was delicious! With our soup bowls on our bellies, my mother and I chowed down on this decadent soup. We looked at each other, and our eyes rolled back into our heads. The cabbage still had great texture hence the preparation, and the bread combined with the cheese was like silk.

Anyway, I have gone on enough about how GREAT this soup is! Now it is up to you to make it...

 

Italian Bread and Cabbage Soup with Sage Butter

Ingredients

• 3 quarts good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 Savoy cabbage, stalks removed, outer leaves separated, washed and roughly chopped
• 2 big handfuls cavolo nero and/or kale, stalks removed, leaves washed
• and roughly chopped
• About 16 slices stale country-style or sourdough bread
• 1 clove garlic, unpeeled, cut in 1/2
• Olive oil
• 12 to 14 slices pancetta or bacon
• 1 (4-ounce) can anchovy fillets, in oil
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
• 7 ounces fontina cheese, grated
• 5 ounces freshly grated Parmesan, plus a little for serving
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Couple large knobs butter
• Small bunch fresh sage, leaves picked

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan and add the cabbage, cavolo nero and/or kale. Cook for a few minutes until softened (you may have to do this in 2 batches). Remove the cabbage to a large bowl, leaving the stock in the pan.

Toast all but 5 of the bread slices on a hot griddle pan or in a toaster, then rub them on 1 side with the garlic halves, and set aside.

Next, heat a large 4-inch-deep ovenproof casserole-type pan on the stove top, pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil and add your pancetta and anchovies. When the pancetta is golden brown and sizzling, add the rosemary and cooked cabbage and toss to coat the greens in all the lovely flavors. Put the mixture and all the juices back into the large bowl.

Place 4 of the toasted slices in the casserole-type pan, in 1 layer. Spread over 1/3 of the cabbage leaves, sprinkle over a 1/4 of the grated fontina and Parmesan and add a drizzle of olive oil. Repeat this twice, but don't stress if your pan's only big enough to take layers - that's fine. Just pour in all the juices remaining in the bowl and end with a layer of untoasted bread on top. Push down on the layers with your hands.

Pour the stock gently over the top until it just comes up to the top layer. Push down again and sprinkle over the remaining fontina and Parmesan. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle over some good-quality olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for around 30 minutes, or until crispy and golden on top.

When the soup is ready, divide it between your bowls. Melt the butter in a frying pan and quickly fry the sage leaves until they're just crisp and the butter is lightly golden (not burned!). Spoon a bit of the flavored butter and sage leaves over the soup and add another grating of Parmesan. Such a great combo!

Courtesy of Jamie Oliver and Food Network