Serve this wonderful satisfying soup for the main course and finish with a green salad. Perfect for casual entertaining! And the good news is that this meal is elegant, yet easy on the budget!
Portion size8 servings
Credits :martyandcara
Ingredients
3 tablespoons
olive oil
1
onion
diced
1 cup
carrots
diced
1 cup
celery
diced
1
green cabbage
about 1 small
3
cloves garlic
diced
2
apples
peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons
tomato paste
1 tablespoon
fresh rosemary
chopped
1
900 ml
vegetable broth
1 cup
water
1 can
white kidney bean
1 1/2 cup
all-purpose flour
1/3 cup
whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons
sugar
1 tablespoon
baking powder
1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
1 1/4 cup
aged cheddar cheese
grated
1 cup
buttermilk
1/4 cup
canola oil
1
egg
Method
Soup Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until beginning to soften, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add sliced cabbage, garlic and apple, leaving about ½ cup of apple for garnish. Cook until cabbage starts to wilt and apple softens, another few minutes. Stir in tomato paste and chopped rosemary. Add broth, water and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the cheddar cheese muffins (recipe follows.) Using an immersion hand-blender, purée soup until smooth, or alternatively, transfer batches to blender and purée. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, garnish each bowl with diced apple, fresh ground pepper and a sprig of rosemary. Serve with Cheddar Cheese Muffins. Cheddar Cheese Muffins Makes 12 large muffins. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Celsius. Grease 12 standard muffin cups. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Add 1 cup of the cheese and stir to combine. In another bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk and egg. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle each with the remaining ¼ cup of cheese. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm with butter.
