To me, it conjured up images of diets and that infamous cabbage smell.

So I was really surprised by how delicious this recipe is. Even my toddler came back for third helpings, which is unheard of…
Black Nero Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 large onion
500g potatoes
200 - 300g black nero cabbage
1 litre vegetable stock
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped, e.g. thyme, parsley
30ml vegetable oil
200g cooked cannelloni beans or butter beans (optional)

Method

1. Peel the onion and chop it roughly. Peel the garlic and crush it.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.

3. Wash the potatoes and chop into 1 cm chunks. There’s no need to peel, unless you want to. Add to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes.

4. Add the herbs and stock. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Wash the cabbage and chop it. Add to the soup and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Liquidise the soup, if you prefer. Then add the cannelloni beans or butter beans. Heat through.

Serve with chunks of crusty bread.
Time From Cupboard-To-Table
About 45 minutes
Notes & Variations For Black Nero Cabbage Soup
This would also work well with Savoy cabbage, if you don’t have any black nero. Kale is also a suitable substitute.

You could try it with white cabbage, but the flavour won’t be as strong.

The potatoes are optional and aren’t usually included in the traditional Borscht recipe, but they help thicken the soup, which makes it less messy for kids to eat.

Ingredients
Serves 4

5-6 medium or large beetroot - raw
1 large or 2 medium onions, peeled
2 large potatoes (optional)
1 litre vegetable stock (or stock cube plus water)
1 lemon
150ml natural yoghurt or creme fraiche
salt & pepper to taste
Method
Beetroot Soup - In Progress

1. Scrub the beetroot. Cut off the stalks. Chop the beetroot finely or grate it.

2. Peel and slice the onion

3. Scrub and chop the potatoes (if using) into 1cm cubes

4. Put the beetroot, onions, potatoes and stock in a large pan and simmer gently for about 1/2 hour, or until all the vegetables are soft.

5. At this stage you have two choices:
* For the more traditional Borscht, strain the soup, discarding the vegetables, and continue using just the liquid

* For a thicker and more filling version, liquidise the soup with the vegetables
6. Add the juice of the lemon and stir well.

7. Mix in the yoghurt or creme fraiche and season with salt & pepper to taste.
8. Traditionally, Borscht is served chilled, but this soup also tastes delicious when warm.

Serve garnished with a swirl of cream / yoghurt and with fresh, chopped chives.

Walnut shells are composed of two halves. The space between the two halves is called the shell seal. Shell seal strength varies by variety, but most are very tightly sealed to protect the nut from moisture and pests. A tight shell seal does a good job of protecting the nut, but it makes getting to the walnut meat a bit challenging.

If you pick a walnut off a tree, you’ll discover that the shell can easily be cracked open by hand; however, after washing and drying the shell becomes very hard and must be broken open using a nutcracker, hammer or other tool. Some people are able to crack the shell by placing two walnuts in one hand and squeezing, but most folks need some help.

Once you break open a walnut you’ll discover a hard fibrous membrane lining the inside of the shell and running between the two halves of the nut.  You need to remove this before eating. You’ll also notice that the walnut itself is covered by a thin skin called the pellicle. The pellicle is edible, but if you prefer your walnuts “naked”, you can blanch them in rapidly boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds and rinse under cold water. The pellicle should then slip off quite easily.

The pellicle contains tannins, the same compounds found in red wine that are associated with promoting heart health. The darker the pellicle, the more tannins it contains.

Now let’s look at the walnut and all of the substances it contains. The following list represents 60 known compounds in walnuts, but there may be thousands more phytochemicals waiting to be discovered.

What’s in a walnut?

Water (4% of total shelled nut weight)

Macronutrients (94% of total shelled nut weight)

• Fat (composed of seven different fatty acids including the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid)
• Protein (composed of 18 different amino acids)
• Carbohydrate (composed of three different types of sugar)
• Dietary Fiber

Micronutrients - Minerals (1% of total shelled nut weight)

• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Zinc
• Copper
• Manganese
• Selenium

Micronutrients - Vitamins (0.3% of total shelled nut weight)

• Vitamin C
• Thiamin
• Riboflavin
• Niacin
• Pantothenic Acid
• Vitamin B6
• Folic Acid
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
• Vitamin E (delta-tocopherol)
• Vitamin E (gamma-tocopherol)
• Vitamin K

Plant Sterols (0.6% of total shelled nut weight)

• Stigmasterol
• Campesterol
• Beta-sitosterol

Other Substances (0.1% of total shelled nut weight)

• Melatonin
• Beta-carotene
• Lutein
• Zeaxanthin
• Ellagic Acid
• Gallic Acid

A. The latest research affirms that the health benefits from eating walnuts do not come at the expense of weight gain. Researchers have noted in many walnuts studies that subjects did not gain weight when walnuts were substituted for other fat in reduced-calorie diets. People reported feeling more satisfied; many said walnuts made it easier to stick to a diet. A recommended portion of walnuts is one ounce.

A. Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fat, which, when exposed to heat, does oxidized quickly, so if you chop them up it is best to store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer to ensure freshness. Chopping does not affect the nutritional value as long as they are stored properly

1 walnut half = 2 grams
1 ounce of walnuts = 14 halves
1 cup walnut pieces = 120 grams
1 cup walnuts, chopped = 120 grams
1 cup shelled walnuts = 50 halves = 100 grams