smothered cabbage soup

i have a special place in my heart for the savoy cabbage.
granted, i've never met a cabbage that i don't like (see here, here, here, here and here). but savoys have some sort of extra cruciferous oomph going for them--it's that spectacularly cellular web of veins, i think, that gives it a very certain spongy resilience, one that is unusually pleasing to feel collapsing under your teeth.
and cooked, well, they surprise you with a richness belied by their gradient of green. and when you finely shred a savoy and braise it into oblivion, it gets downright creamy, i kid you not. marcella hazan, she of three ingredient tomato sauce fame, takes full advantage of this with a smothered cabbage and rice soup (though if we're being honest with ourselves, this is way more cabbage than soup). you cook down a shredded savoy with onion, garlic and a touch of vinegar, and then you say goodbye to your vibrant green leaves, because you're about to turn them into an unrecognizable swamp thing.

but that's okay, because in addition to savoy cabbages, i also have a soft spot for ugly food. this soup is the crowning glory of hideous deliciousness. the squeamish or faint of heart might want to avert their eyes:i wasn't kidding. it's not pretty. don't serve it to company. this is the kind of meal that is best prepared whilst doing something else, like writing emails or folding laundry, and best kept squirreled away in your fridge waiting for you to bike home from the library in the freezing rain at 2am. maybe you can share it with somebody you really trust, if you feel comfortable baring your soul to them in all its wilted, mustard-toned glory. in return, it will ask for nothing more than a reheating and maybe an extra sprinkling of parmesan and coarse salt. what's even more miraculous is that it is noticeably better after a day or two in the fridge. any residual bitter cabbage edges are rounded out, liquids are evenly dispersed, flavors meld and mellow. arborio rice releases its creamy starches to mingle with a swirl of butter, adding something risotto-esque to all that slumped cabbage.

what's even more horrific than the looks of this soup, though, is the fact that i ate a bowl of this for breakfast today, and don't regret it in the slightest.

rice & smothered savoy cabbage soup
adapted from marcella hazan's the essentials of classic italian cooking
serves 3-4 as a main course

• 2 lbs savoy cabbage (mine was probably around 3 lbs)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp wine vinegar
• 3 cups vegetable stock*
• 2/3 cup arborio rice
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano

*hazan calls for 3 cups homemade meat broth or 1 cup canned beef broth diluted with 2 cups of water or 1 1/2 bouillon cubes dissolved in 3 cups of water. i used 3 cups of vegetable stock and had to also add a cup or two of water later on, though this might have had to do with my larger cabbage.

detach and discard the first few outer leaves of the cabbage. shred the remaining head of cabbage very finely, either with your food processor's shredding attachment or by hand. be sure to remove the cabbage's inner core.

put the onion and olive oil and a large soup pot and turn the heat to medium. cook the onion, stirring, until it's softened and taken on some color, then add the garlic. when the garlic has turned a pale gold, add the shredded cabbage. turn the cabbage over 2 or 3 times to coat it well, and cook it until it has wilted.
add salt, pepper, and the vinegar to the pan. turn the cabbage over once, completely, then lower the heat to minimum and cover the pan tightly. cook for at least 1 1/2 hours, or until it is very tender, stirring from time to time. add 2 tbsps of water (i used more), if needed, during the cooking if the cabbage becomes too dry.

add the broth to the pot and turn the heat up to medium. when the broth comes to a boil, add the rice. cook, uncovered, adjusting the heat so that the soup bubbles at a slow but steady boil, stirring from time to time until the rice is done. it must be tender, but firm to the bite, and should take around 20 minutes. if while the rice is cooking, you find the soup becoming too thick dilute it with a ladleful of homemade broth or water (i probably used an additional 1 1/2 cups of water). the soup should be on the dense-ish side when finished.
when the rice is done, before turning off the heat, stir in the butter and the grated cheese. taste and correct for salt and pepper. ladle the soup into individual plates and allow it to settle a few minutes before serving, garnished with additional parmesan if you like.