Parmesan & Cabbage Soup with Crispy Chickpeas and Lemon
Nibbles and Bites Issue #27: Stay warm out there!
I have been waiting for a “Major Winter Storm” this season, but unfortunately I don’t think we’re going to be seeing any snow in the city sticking to the ground this evening. My time will come to gear up in snow boot and shuffle through the snow, but I plan on cozying up to this warm bowl of cabbage soup this evening. I love this soup because it’s so hearty, rich with herbs, and verges into salad territory. It’s basically a warm cabbage and kale salad dressed in miso-parm broth and it is bomb.
I developed this recipe because I was inspired by a mesmerizing purple mini napa cabbage I found at one of my favorite butcher shops, Marlow and Daughters. I wouldn’t suggest going in there until you want to walk out with a significantly lighter wallet, but they sell top-quality sourdough bread, so I find myself in there all too often. The purple color of the napa cabbage stains the parm broth a purply, pink color that might be off putting to some, but I find it sort of whimsical and a little unconventional. That being said, green napa cabbage can easily be subbed in place of the purple variety.
I also loved developing this recipe because it allowed me to mess around with one of my all-time favorite pantry snacks, the crispy chickpea. For this version, I’ll have you dry the canned chickpeas, smash them gently with the back of a spoon, and then dress them in olive oil, parmesan and a touch of all-purpse flour. The flour and parm creates a craggy, uneven texture on the surface of the chickpea allowing you to achieve a slightly frico effect, which is truly delightful.
Parmesan & Cabbage Soup with Crispy Chickpeas and Lemon
Ingredients:
2 tbsps olive oil
2 shallots, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
1 lemon’s zest and juice
2 tsp rice or sherry vinegar
1 small head of green or napa cabbage (6 cups chopped)
1 cups of chicken stock
1 can of chickpeas
1 tsp of all-purpose flour
2 parmesan rinds, or 2 tablespoons of grated cheese
1 tablespoons of white miso
2 leaves of kale, remove ribs and thinly slice
½ cup of parmesan cheese for serving
½ cup chopped parsley, chives or dill for serving
Chef’s Tip: Get all of your ingredients chopped, prepped and measured before beginning. Having everything put in place (mise en place) is the secret to success in the kitchen!
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. In a large pot, add a drizzle of olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ½ tsp of lemon zest and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute until fragrant. Add the chopped cabbage, season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until the cabbage is slightly wilted and bright in color.
Add half of the chickpeas to a sheet pan. Dry thoroughly with a paper towel and smash down gently with the bottom of a wooden spoon until slightly flattened. Remove chickpea skins from the sheet pan if they separate. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese and one teaspoon of flour to the dressed chickpeas and toss to combine again. Spread out evenly on the sheet tray and bake in the oven until crispy for about 16 to 18 minutes.
Once the cabbage is slightly wilted, add the vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any fond. Then add the chicken stock, remaining chickpeas, 1 cup of water, miso paste and parmesan rinds to the pot. Bring everything to a simmer and cook on medium-low heat for about 6 to 8 minutes. Discard the parmesan rinds.
Add the lemon juice and sliced kale to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes until kale leaves are completely wilted. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the soup and garnish with as much of the crispy chickpeas, fresh herbs, crushed red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and lemon wedges as you’d like.
I hope everyone bundles up and stays safe and warm out there. Let me know if you enjoyed all the step by step photos that I included in this recipe and I’ll include more of them next time too. If you do end up making this soup, please reach out and let me know what you think!
More recipes and stories coming to you next weekend! We’ll be visiting a litter of puppies and picking out one to take home with us. I can handle contain my excitement!
Until next time,
Kristen