Spicy beef & cabbage soup

I had a yen for a nourishing soupy dish for the past week. I think it has something to do with the weather, which has been wet and chilly. So I picked up some stewing beef from the butcher's last week and a big head of savoy cabbage earlier this week and prepared to make spicy beef and cabbage soup. Even though today turned out rather warm, showing the first sign of spring, I still went ahead as planned.

Spicy beef & cabbage soup

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil
600g beef (chuck, bottom round roast, or rump are good for stewing), cubed 1"
1 onion, chopped
1 savoy cabbage, roughly chopped
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1½ L beef stock (or two beef stock cubes with 1½ L of water)
2 tbsp tomato purée
1½ tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp thyme
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat (I'm using my Crafond Cocotte).
2. When the oil is hot enough, add in the beef cubes and sear the meat, stirring frequently. Once seared, remove and set aside. (This is an important step as it is through searing that the dish develops the meaty flavour.)
3. In the same pot, add in the onions and sauté till soft and translucent.
4. Add in the cabbage and sauté until slightly wilted and softened.
5. Add back in the beef. 
6. Pour in the chopped tomatoes. Mix well.
7. Pour beef stock into the dutch oven and mix well.
8. Season with cayenne pepper, paprika, and thyme.
9. Add in the tomato purée. (If using a slow cooker, transfer the content of the pot into the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 10 hours, up to 24 hours.)
   
10. Bring to a gentle boil, then cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.
11. Turn off the heat, but leave the dutch oven on the ring (I'm using an electric stove top, so the ring remains hot for some time).
12. After an hour or so, stir the pot, and bring it back to a gentle boil. Heat for a few minutes and then cover and let simmer for 10 minutes before turning off the heat.

    

    After 2 hours

13. Repeat the above step a couple more times for up to 10 hours.

    

    After 7 hours

14. Before serving, heat the broth and season as desired.

When cooking, the beautiful aroma of the tomatoes and beef filled the apartment and I had to restrain myself from consuming a whole bowl while tasting the broth. Admittedly the smell of cooked cabbage can be off putting for some, but in this case, it was easily overlooked. After a bowl of this spicy beef and cabbage soup for dinner, I felt nourished indeed.

A couple of evenings later, I added some thick mung bean noodles to the soup. It made a tasty dinner again.