In countryside cooking, nothing was thrown away. Re-using leftovers was essential: any remaining meat, seasonal vegetables and even offcuts became ingredients for soup or omelette. Soup made using traditional cabbage and ham trimmings represents the essence of low-cost cooking, enhancing simple ingredients by means of slow, skilful preparation.
Here is how you make cabbage soup. Peel the onion, trim the celery and put the trimmed ham pieces and bone into a saucepan. Pour in some water and boil for about two hours. As the ham tends to release fat, it is best to change the water and rinse the bone and leftovers. In the meantime, clean the old cabbage, removing the stalk, the hardest part of the cabbage, and retaining the softest leaves, which can be used whole. Boil in water for the time necessary to cook them. This is a dish for winter, a period in which vegetables are already cooked by the cold, and so a relatively short boiling time is sufficient. Once the sauce is ready, add the cabbage and boil for another two hours. The soup should be served hot, accompanied by a glass of good red wine.