Irish Colcannon Soup

On the eve of St. Patrick's Day, I made a light Irish meal for dinner -- just a simple Colcannon soup and fresh homemade soda bread. I made this soup thick and hearty as possible, which were loaded with wild boar bacon, leeks, cabbage, and potatoes, and this is the reason why I served only a bowl of soup and a slice of bread for dinner because of its high caloric content.

This is really an easy recipe to follow. I just love the creamy factor of this soup without compromising its flavor. Truly a big meal by itself and you'll see why...

Ingredients:

4-6 Bacon  (I used Wild Boar Bacon)

1 Medium Sweet Vidalia Onions

2-3 Potatoes, cubed

3 cloves Garlic, chopped

2-3 Leeks, sliced thin

1/2 a head of Cabbage, chopped

1 cup White Wine

4 cups Chicken Stock

1/2 cup Heavy or Light Cream

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

In a large stock pot, fry bacon first until crisp on medium heat. Remove bacon and let it rest on a plate with paper towel. Brown cubed potatoes on bacon fat. Remove potatoes when they are golden brown. Then set it aside. Let chopped onions sweat on bacon fat as well. When translucent, add chopped garlic. Then add leeks and cabbage. Stirring occasionally until soft and tender. Remove about a third of leeks and cabbage mixture from the pot and place it aside. Add white wine, scrapping off the bits on the bottom of the pot. Then, add half of the browned potatoes. Keep stirring. Then add chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring it to a full boil for a few minutes. 

Take a hand mixer and blend the soup until nice and smooth. Be careful when doing this to avoid splattering. If an electric hand mixer is not available, you can also put this in a blender in batches. When the soup is well blended, add the remaining potatoes and leek-cabbage mixture that were set side. By doing this step, makes this soup thick and hearty. Stir well. Then add cream in the end. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

Serve a bowl of this soup with crumbled bacon on top and a slice of Irish soda bread.

Enjoy!