Sassenach’s Stew

Last year, I featured four new recipes for HBO’s Game of Thrones premiere. (That’s coming up later in the month… I’m focused on something new for now.)

This year, I have a new obsession. If you know me, I’m a bit of a bookworm. Okay, okay…I read all of the time. I’ve seen Outlander in book stores and heard people mention it from time to time, but I shrugged it off. Ah, it’s not my typical read, I would say. But, boy, was I wrong.

I devoured the first three books quickly and fell in love with the characters and setting. A brief synopsis of the book (from Goodreads):

The year is 1945. As Claire Randall, a retired military nurse, steps through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles, she is only back from the war and reunited with her husband on their second honeymoon. In the year of Our Lord…1743, she finds herself a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland broken apart by battle and raiding frontier clans.

The show premieres on Starz this weekend, April 9th. My girlfriends and I will be watching! (If you can’t commit to reading the book, please watch the show on Amazon.)

With this all said, I began researching different Scottish recipes, and I wanted to share them with you here before the show premieres. Many recipes had meat in them (although I was not totally shocked), but I was able to put together a somewhat traditional Scottish stew — with cabbage!

I love cabbage! This Sassenach’s Stew is easy to make, and the ingredients are relatively easy to find. I chose leeks in this Sassenach’s Stew recipe because they are a traditional Scottish ingredient, more so over onions. Most of these ingredients could have been found in 1743!

As a side note, you might be wondering why I chose to include Montreal Steak Seasoning in my Sassenach’s Stew recipe. When I looked up several Scottish recipes in consultation, I found a few that listed exact spices. I put MSS on my cooked veggies constantly, so it seemed like the perfect fit. (By the way, I use the McCormick brand. The knockoffs just don’t taste as good.)

Sassenach’s Stew (aka Claire’s Cabbage Soup)

Recipe by Aileen MetcalfCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized green cabbage

• 2 T. vegan butter or olive oil

• 5 c. vegetable stock

• 1/2 c. white wine (dry)

• 2 leeks, diced (tutorial on cutting and cleaning here)

• 2-3 medium carrots, shredded

• 2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning

• 2 potatoes, cooked and mashed (optional)

Directions

• In accordance with Scottish recipes, soak the cabbage in saltwater for an hour before cooking it. (If you don’t do this, I don’t think it will be the end of the world. It just makes the cabbage a little more tender).
• To shred the cabbage, you can use either a traditional shredder or a mandolin. (I put my mandolin on the smallest setting, and this worked wonders. I am the slowest shredder in the world. The mandolin is a life saver).
• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, add the butter/oil, shredded cabbage, seasoning, and leeks. Cook the mixture until the cabbage is slightly wilted and cooked.
• Turn the heat up high and add in the wine and veggie stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower it to a simmer. Allow the alcohol to burn off and let the soup cook for 20-30 minutes until the cabbage is very tender. Once the stew is done, stir in the carrots and potatoes (for thickness, if desired). Turn off the heat.
• Enjoy this tasty Sassenach’s Stew in celebration of a great story 🙂
  
  Cheers!
  
  -Aileen