Traditional Irish Bacon and Cabbage Soup
Anraith Cabáiste agus Bagún·(ahn-rah kah-bawsh-tyeh ah-gus bah-goon)
The Midday Warmth: The Big Pot on the Stove
If you ask most Americans what Ireland tastes like, they'll hand you a plate of corned beef. But corned beef is an immigrant invention, a necessity born in the tenements of New York. Back home, it was always bacon—thick, salty, cured joints of pork, boiled in a massive pot over a peat fire. The true alchemy of the Irish kitchen came the next day, when the leftover "bacon water" became the base for a rich, frugal soup. We're mimicking that profound, smoky farmhouse base by rendering thick-cut slab bacon, sweating the root vegetables in its fat, and simmering the cabbage just long enough to respect it. It's the real taste of the homeland, born of necessity and elevated by generations of quiet farmhouse wisdom.
Ingredients
- thick-cut smoked slab bacon8 oz
- unsalted Irish butter1 tbsp
- yellow onion1 large
- Yukon Gold potatoes1 lb
- low-sodium chicken broth4 cup
- water1 cup
- bay leaf1 large
- Savoy cabbage1/2 med head
- heavy cream1/4 cup
- black pepperto taste
- fresh parsley2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Slowly render the diced bacon in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat.
Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until the bacon is crispy and has released its fat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, but leave the smoky rendered fat in the pot—this is the foundation of your faux bacon water.
- 02
Add the butter, onions, and potatoes to the bacon fat, tossing thoroughly to coat.
Here is the grandmother's trick: turn the heat to medium-low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes. This releases the onion's sugars and gently cooks the potatoes without browning, building massive depth of flavor.
- 03
Remove the lid, pour in the chicken broth and water, and drop in the bay leaf.
Bring everything to a gentle boil, then immediately drop it to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
- 04
Stir in the shredded Savoy cabbage and simmer gently, leaving the pot completely uncovered.
Boiling cabbage with a lid on traps volatile sulfur compounds, turning it a depressing grey. Let it simmer open to the air for 5 to 7 minutes, just until wilted, tender, and vibrantly green.
- 05
Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaf, and stir in the heavy cream and half of the crispy bacon.
Taste before adding any salt, as the bacon usually does the heavy lifting. Add a generous few grinds of black pepper, ladle into wide bowls, and garnish with the remaining bacon and fresh parsley.
Notes
Swap chicken broth for homemade pork stock if you have it.
If you boiled a ham or smoked pork shoulder earlier in the week, use that leftover liquid. It's the astronomically authentic bacon water that transcends this weeknight hack.
Mash a few potatoes directly in the pot for a thicker, rustic broth.
Authentic Irish soups often rely on breaking down the potatoes for body. Give a quick mash before adding the cabbage to release extra starch.
Omit the bacon and build flavor with butter and smoked paprika for a meatless version.
Increase the butter to 3 tablespoons to sweat the vegetables, use vegetable stock, and add a half teaspoon of smoked paprika to mimic the pork's smoky depth.
From Cook Irish-American Food.