All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Monday, March 12, 2012

colcannon soup for St. Patrick's




And what would be under the lid of my lovely new birthday pot from my daughter? Mmmmm, something smells good!

Like many Americans, I can count many relatives on both sides of the family who were Irish ( Leary, Sullivan, Hughes (originally Welsh, but ended up in Ireland), O'Hanlon, among others) so of course I celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I often make colcannon, which is a cabbage and potato mash, but it's best hot and fresh, oozing with butter. I wanted something I could reheat, so I decided on a colcannon soup today: warm homemade chicken stock, leeks and baby potatoes, sweet green cabbage, and fresh dill and parsley.-, and of course, sweet unsalted butter, and a little olive oil. It was so good for lunch, I'll heat it up again for dinner, wishing I had photographs of all those ancestors I only know on the genealogy chart.

Makes about 4 servings:

1 cup sliced leek whites
1 T. olive oil
1 T. unsalted butter
4 cups chicken stock
about 9 small potatoes, sliced into thirds
1/2 t. thyme
2 cups sliced/shredded sweet green cabbage
kosher salt and fresh pepper
1/4 cup medium chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup medium minced fresh dill
1 cup medium cream
more butter to your taste(optional)

Saute the leek whites in the oil and butter for 15 minutes, then add the stock, potatoes, thyme, and cabbage and simmer until the potatoes are tender - about 20 minutes.

Toss in the cream, dill, and parsley, and remove from heat and cover. Stir, then let the colcannon soup steep for another 15 minutes, covered.

Taste the soup ( it will need salt), and adjust seasonings as you wish. Too late, I thought a little bacon or sausage might be nice in this, so let me know if you add some.

May the hill rise to greet you, friends, and enjoy your St. Patrick's Day!

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7 comments:

Candace said...

What a great idea for a soup! It looks absolutely delicious.

katrina said...

Thanks, Candace! And I noticed you just moved here - welcome to NH! I spent some years in Mississippi, near NOLA, so I know the change is HUGE!

Barb said...

This soup looks delicious! Who isn't Irish on St. Patrick's Day? My husband is half Irish from his mother's side (dad's side is very German).

I'm most intrigued by your inside orange tree! those oranges are adorable! Did you really get that many off of it? Do you keep it in a particularly sunny spot? How long have you had it? Any chance you could post a picture of it? (Hopefully, I'm not too nosy - just really curious.)

Thanks, Katrina!

katrina said...

Oh, Barb - I love that orange tree! I keep it cut down to about four feet, as it goes a little crazy sometimes:) It loves light, which is why I have it at a neighbor's place, but I still get my harvest of a basket of fruit. Win-win all around! They are called calamondin orange trees, and should be available in any nursery. Easy to grow, and need trimming every once in a while. The blossoms smell amazing just when you need a boost of summer! My tree is 10 years old - I'll post a photo when I make the marmalade. Happy St. Paddy's to you and your husband!

Anonymous said...

Ah, to be sure, St. Pat's Day is upon us again. I should try your liquified version of Colcannon this year and see how it fares. I noticed in your labels that you have listed 88 soups to date, the highest of them all. So I think this should be safe.  

katrina said...

Amateur Cook - my goodness! It really is 88, isn't it? I adore soup, I say with humility and gratitude. Hope you enjoy the colcannon soup along with a little Celtic music!

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