Cabbage soup with pork meatballs and rice

This is a very heart-warming dish, which despite its sound and appearance, is not high in calories at all. Savoy cabbage is well known for its antioxidant properties which help us age well. (So, eat your cabbage!)

1 savoy cabbage

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp black peppercorns

200gr lean pork mince

1tsp fennel seeds (optional)

1tbsp white wine

1 chicken stock cube

Salt and pepper to season

150 gr parboiled rice*

1 medium potato diced

4 tsp olive oil

4 tbsp pecorino cheese

*or:

4 slices "stale" rustic bread

Slice the cabbage into fine strips, put into a medium pan with cube, peppercorns, garlic and cover with 1½ litres of boiling water. Bring to boil and reduce the heat, let it simmer for 20 minutes on a lively heat. In the meantime, make the meatballs by adding two tbsp of warm water, the wine, the fennel seeds, salt and pepper to the meat. Mix well and roll the mixture into balls the size of a nutmeg. Throw the meatballs in the boiling cabbage soup. Let cook with lid on for further 15 minutes. Then add parboiled rice to the soup and let cook for the time required by the rice with lid off. Season well before you turn off the heat and serve in a pasta bowl with a teaspoon of fresh olive oil, a sprinkle of pecorino cheese and, if you like, hot paprika. Serve very hot.

*Instead of rice you may like to use some toasted bread. It should be the “home made” and stale, though because fresh bread will just become soggy. Line the bowls with the bread and pour the hot soup on it.