Stompin' for a Savoy

Elusive crinkly cabbage, you float my boat. Shall we try you in a theoretical minestrone? Plus chocolate crisis update.

Happy Friday, reinvigorated cook!

As each week sails merrily along, the question of what to write about in the upcoming newsletter marinates in the back of my mind, and I always feel I have so much to tell you. And then poof! All those things disappear and suddenly I want to tell you something else entirely.

This morning, that was caused by reading a column by Yotam Ottolenghi in the New York Times, “When There’s Pasta in the Soup, Everybody’s Happy.” So true! What’s better than pasta? What’s better than soup? When they meet in one bowl, that’s happiness cubed.

What really got me excited, though, was clicking on the recipe and finding that Ottolenghi puts Savoy cabbage in his minestrone. Savoy cabbage!!! Just the thought of it puts me in a fine mood, and so here I am trotting out the photo above I took last year in France, shown with its BFF and mine, turnips.

Here’s the catch: In my neck of the woods, it’s harder and harder to find Savoy cabbage. I used to find the bodacious brassica fairly reliably during the winter at Whole Foods and our powerhouse grocery Central Market, and now it’s findable only rarely. Savoy cabbage, ridiculous as this will sound if you are reading this from Savoy’s birthplace, France, has become rare as a Périgord truffle in my life. (Rare as a Savoy truffle?)

So, yeah, I dream about Savoy cabbage — botanically known as Brassica oleracea var. sabauda — and I also think about it when I’m awake. Why is it sometimes extremely wrinkly (as in the photo above), and sometimes less so? This is the stuff of insomnia.

As it turns out, there are many different varieties. Most popular in the U.S. is Savoy King, but there are also Tundra, Winter King, Tardivo di Milano, Des Vertus, Ormskirk Late, and Savoy Ace. Check this visual. What’s annoying is that Savoy King is actually a hybrid; it’s waxier than what I find in France, and less crinkly; more like regular green cabbage. It’s what I usually find in the supermarket, when I do find it. Makes me miss France. Still, I happily snap it up.

And Savoy cabbage is not only French. Yes, it’s named for France’s Savoy region, but it’s also known — in northern Italy — as cavolo di Milano or cavolo lombardo. That explains why I find three Savoy cabbage recipes in Cucina Povera, a super appealing cookbook published last year. (It’s included in Cooks Without Borders’ Ultimate Cookbook Gift Guide.) I haven’t been able to test the Buckwheat Pasta with Cabbage and Cheese in the book because I haven’t gotten my hands on Savoy cabbage at the right moment. (How good does THAT sound???!) There’s a Zuppa d’Orzo Trentino — Savoy Cabbage and Barley Soup — that also appeals mightily.

Theoretical Savoy Cabbage Minestrone

The Ottolenghi recipes sounds great, but I’d do it a little differently. I can’t develop a recipe and then give you something real that I’ve actually tested and photograph because, you know, I don’t have a Savoy cabbage.

If I did, the recipe below is what I would do. Again — this is not a tested recipe! But if you know your way around a kitchen, you could follow it and I’m pretty sure you’ll wind up with something delicious. If you want something rich and you have duck fat, use that. If you want it lighter, use olive oil. Tweak as you see fit.

I’m going to make this as soon as I find a Savoy cabbage. In the meantime, please make it (if you dare) and tell us how it turns out!

Ingredients

• 1 small bunch lacinato (Tuscan) kale

• 1/3 cup / 80 ml olive oil or 4 tablespoons duck fat

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 2 medium carrots, cut into small dice

• 2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into small dice

• 4 celery stalks, cut into small dice

• 3 thyme branches

• 4 nice-sided garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 medium Savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

• 1 (14.5-ounce. / 411 grams) can diced tomatoes

• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or more as needed

• 1/2 cup / 75 grams small elbow macaroni

• 1 (15.5-ounce / 439 gram) can cannellini beans, drained

• 1 or 2 pieces of parmesan rind, if you happen to have them (it’s not essential)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Remove the tough inner stems from the lacinato kale, chop them finely and set aside. Cut the leaves into thin strips, and cut the strips in half or so. Set aside.

• Heat the olive oil or duck fat in a large soup pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the kale stems, onion, carrots, turnips, celery and thyme and cook it slowly, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat, until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the Savoy cabbage and the kale leaves, and turn them to coat for a minute or two.

• Stir in the diced tomatoes, including their liquid. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring. Add the chicken or vegetable broth, the macaroni, the cannellini beans and the parmesan rind (if using), and bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook at a simmer for about two hours, until everything is delicious. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Want a Savoy cabbage recipe that’s actually been tested?

Chicken Thighs with Savoy Cabbage and Turnips

Chocolate crisis management

Oh, one more thing: I updated my report on the chocolate crisis, over at the big website.

Have a wonderful weekend. Stay warm. Make soup. If it’s theoretical minestrone, do let us know in a comment how it works out.

Love, Leslie