Ingredients:
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium leek, diced
3 small red potatoes (1 inch cubes)
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 parsnip, peeled and sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp. each fresh thyme, parsley and sage, chopped
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup Irish lager beer
1 cup water (as needed)
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until clear. Add the leek and saute for a few more minutes. Add tomato, potatoes, carrots and parsnip, stir and let cook for a few minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for a half an hour. Stir frequently and add water as needed.
Add cabbage and lager, simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes. Vegetables should start to break down and thicken up the soup. You may puree in batches and return to the pot for a smoother consistency. When the cabbage has softened, stir in the herbs and serve with soda bread.
Soda bread is a traditional Irish bread with flour, sodium bicarbonate, salt and buttermilk as the main ingredients.
The lager beer adds a mellow flavor of barley, hops and malt to the richness of the stew. Rogue and Harp both have Irish style lagers and are available at Aquistapace’s Covington Supermarket.
Another serving suggestion is to top the soda bread with sliced tomato and shredded cabbage, drizzled with a pear vinaigrette.
