Pierogi chowder with braised red cabbage

ome years when I make pierogis with my Canadian girlfriends, the precious dumplings get packaged up and spend a great deal of time in the freezer before I remember they are there and pull them out for the family. (Or maybe I consciously block out that they are there?) But this year no such forgetting has gone on; we have enjoyed a lovely pierogi meal a couple of times already. Tragically I think there's only one more meal in the freezer and now I want to save them, guard them...

So rather than make more pierogis, my lazy self turned to shortcut possibilities. Doh! I have seen a few recipes around and about that purport to make a faux pierogi casserole or soup, so I decided to try this one out for my men. And as I had recently enjoyed a stellar side of red braised cabbage at Gustav's in Portland when Jen and I met up in early December, I had to give that a whirl as well. I harbored an idea that they would go well together, and I have to say the results were quite delicious.

We haven't had a truly wintery winter yet, it doesn't seem. Today was sunny and mostly clear, and while chilly, certainly not our usual January fare. But the soup and cabbage combo tasted quite lovely and comforting, which is good no matter the weather. But snow still may come, I suppose... (I hope). I am making this again, next time it snows, for sure!

Pierogi chowder
Serves 6-8
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion
8 cups water
3 cups diced potato
2 cups instant potato flakes (I used a small packet I had from Costco. It was 1.5 cups and ample to thicken the soup.)
2 cups milk
1/2 pound American cheese, shredded or cubed (I used a cheddar, it was lovely)
6 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked until tender
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add oil. Toss in onion and cook until translucent. Add water and diced potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. When potatoes are tender, mash until broken up well. Add potato flakes and stir well. Pour in milk and stir until smooth. Stir in American cheese and mix until cheese is melted. Blend in drained noodles and add salt and pepper to taste.

Braised red cabbage
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
1 2 1/2-pound red cabbage, quartered, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (I did not have these on hand, so I skipped)
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add cabbage and caraway seeds; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until cabbage is wilted, about 4 minutes. Add broth. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. Add vinegar. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Mexican cabbage soup

efore this dish disappears completely from memory (we appear to have moved into summer eating, it seems, the past two weeks), I want to get it down on "paper" so that I can return to it when the weather cools again. Of course, knowing the wacky weather we've had the past few months, it could be that I'm hauling out the soup pot next week and putting on my wooly socks...

This soup has (almost) endless variations, but the basics are as follows:

Mexican cabbage soup
1 onion, chopped finely
1 cup carrots, diced fine
1 cup celery, diced fine

Saute in a large soup pot until onion is translucent and the carrots and celery soft. Then add:

2 tsp. cumin
1 bag of chopped cabbage (oh, the ease of prepackaged salads) (3-4 cups, if you're using "real" cabbage) (I also chop the cabbage a bit more than it comes)
2 (19 oz.) cans of red enchilada sauce
3-4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups chopped zucchini
2 cans (16 oz.) of Great Northern Beans

Make sure you have enough liquid to cover the soup adequately, to your tastes. We like a more stewy concoction, so tend to go a little shy on extra liquid. But feel free to add extra broth as desired.

Bring the soup to a gentle boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the zucchini and cabbage are tender.

Like all soups, the flavors tend to improve with a little sitting around, so enjoy the leftovers over the next couple of days. Or make ahead, if you're wanting the prepared soup all flavor-ready for guests and such.

As for variations, I have added extra tomatoes (stewed), skipped the zucchini, added green chiles for a little extra heat, and added green and red peppers just because I had them around. All were yummy in their own way...

This soup is a real lunch favorite for husband, and I think it will be for some time (even through the summer months). I hope you enjoy it too!

Chinese cabbage salad

We have discovered this new kind of ramen noodle, the SmartChoice noodles from Nissin. The noodles themselves are much lower in fat than the ramen-of-college-days, and there are times when a good hot bowl of noodles (customized with your individual add-ons) just hits the spot.

So extrapolating from that discovery, I had this a-ha flash just last night that I needed (yes, needed!) to make an asian-style salad using the noodles and cabbage and various other veggies... I fell asleep last night just thinking about it!

Here's how it turned out:

I barely remembered to get a picture before sticking the leftovers in the fridge for a brown bag lunch tomorrow. It was quite yummy, though the noodles are a little crunchier than the other, fattier brands, and I couldn't really wait very long for them to soften in the dressing... But both husband and I really enjoyed the flavors, and I will throw chicken into the mix in the future for a little added protein.

Chinese Cabbage Salad
Makes 12 cups
1 package preshredded cabbage
2 packages of ramen noodles--no seasoning
2 cups of shredded carrots
1 cup green onions
1 cup radishes, chopped
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Dressing
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
6 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
4 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
Salt, to taste
Mix all the vegetables together in a bowl, break up the noodles into small bits, toss with the dressing and let sit for a little while so the flavors meld well... or, as long as you can before you can't help yourself and you must take a bite! Or two.
If anyone cares, I ran the calories for the whole batch and divided by the 12 cups I ended up with and it's approximately 140 calories a cup. Not too bad, considering...