Comforting bean and cabbage soup (grab the Bean-o☺)

More than just bean soup. More than just cabbage soup. This soup will stick to your ribs, warm you up and make you feel good from the inside out.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of sea salt
1/2 pound potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 cups stock. Make with vegetable bouillon for ease of preparation.
1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained, rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes - it's o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times.

Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another minute or two. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit.

Now adjust the seasoning - getting the seasoning right is important or your soup will taste flat and uninteresting. Taste and add more salt if needed, the amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your stock is (varying widely between brands, homemade, etc). Continue to simmer until cabbage is tender. This is a judgment call - I like mine well done, others prefer a bit more firmness - you'll know☺

Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a generous dusting of cheese.