Good worts! Good Cabbage! - Pork and Cabbage Soup

"Good worts! Good cabbage... Slender, I broke your head!"  from Shakespeare The Merry Wives of Windsor, I, 1

I'm definitely going to try and add that to my daily lexicon... "Good worts, good cabbage!"

Speaking of good cabbage, I wanted to make sure my kids were eating some vegetables post the holiday season, and I really wanted to create a musical ensemble of toots in all different tones throughout my household, so what more brilliant than cabbage soup??!!

I've never had cabbage soup before.   Cabbage cooked with fatty pork cubes, mixed with chicken broth and sauerkraut, this recipe is delicious.  It reminded me of a thin chinese broth soup, the ones that are so full of goodness and what I crave when I am sick.   And it really does make you toot!

Pork and Cabbage Soup 

Adapted Verbatim from Smitten Kitchen's cabbage soup

1 pound pork butt, cut into small cubes - (I used pork shoulder, the butt was all gone!)
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
4 cups water
3 allspice berries (did you know they were called berries? I didn't, but that's so cute!)
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 cup sauerkraut, plus around 4 tablespoons juice
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 carrots, minced
3 stalks celery, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 cups fresh cabbage, shredded thin

Place the pork in a medium stockpot with the chicken stock, water, allspice, bay leaves, and marjoram.

 Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat for about 2 hours.

 Remove the pork and set aside on a plate to cool. Skim fat from stock, leaving a few “eyes” of fat for flavor.

Add sauerkraut and simmer for 20 minutes. Add potato and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and cabbage and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Add the pork and simmer for 10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add sauerkraut juice.