SC - Cheap wine for cooking

[Diana L Skaggs]

At 07:24 PM 10/23/00 GMT, you wrote:
>White Chablis
>>is a key ingredient in my Cabbage Soup, and with the weather turning
>>colder, I'm about ready for a batch.  Leanna
>
>I've never met anyone else who uses wine in their cabbage soup.  I used to 
>use vinegar, but switched to wine about 11 years ago.  Do you put caraway 
>seeds in yours too??
>
>I just made some stewed chicken and cabbage last night with wine, caraway 
>seeds, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves.  Yum.
>olwen

Yum, sounds good, but I don't like caraway seeds.  The recipe I use calls
for juniper berries for seasoning.  I do warn people not to eat the
"peppercorns." 

Someone asked, so here it is. "Cabbage Soup" beginnings from The Frugal
Gourmet Cooks with Wine. I use a 12 quart stockpot, this soup seems to grow.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 pound fresh pork, small dice

Brown the pork in the olive oil, then add:

Two large yellow onions, large dice
1 small head green cabbage, chopped 
3 cloves of garlic, mashed

Cover the pot and allow the onion and cabbage to wilt, stirring
occasionally.  The cabbage takes up about 1/2 the space it did in the
beginning.

Add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour.  Stir thoroughly.
Add 2 cups white wine.  Cook, stirring until the flour/wine starts to
thicken. Add:

4 cups good beef stock
4 cups water
6-oz can of tomato paste
2 tbsp. paprika
10 juniper berries

Bring to a simmer over low heat.  Cook until the cabbage is fork tenderm
then add:

1 pound sliced, smoked sausage
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Allow to cook an additional 20 minutes, then serve.  I garnish with a
dollop of sour cream and/or garlic croutons.  I've also subbed bacon for
the diced pork, red wine for the white, red cabbage for white, bratwurst
for the smoked sausage with good results.  If I don't have beef stock on
hand, I use Tone's Beef Soup Base. You could use beef bouillion cubes or
granules, but watch out for the salt.  Leanna



Leanna