Hamusta – Cabbage Soup with Meat with homemade tomato paste

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

For the Soup

1. 8
   Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the onion in it for 10–15 minutes, until the onion turns golden.

   StoveLarge pot
2. 9
   Add the meat and fry, turning, until the meat is browned on all sides.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 10
   Add the garlic, cumin, turmeric and paprika and fry 1 minute, until fragrant.

   Stove
4. 11
   Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook 5 minutes, stirring.

   Stove
5. 12
   Add the water and bring to a boil.

   Stove
6. 13
   Turn down the heat and simmer 40 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
7. 14
   Add the cabbage and cook 20 minutes, until the cabbage is tender.

   Stove
8. 15
   Stir in the lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Taste: the soup should be tangy. Adjust to taste.

   💡Balance at the end, once the flavors have come together: add sour, sweet and salty a little at a time, tasting between additions.
9. 16
   Serve hot in bowls, and sprinkle the parsley on top.