10 in 10 Diet Cabbage Soup

This soup is vaguely a borscht, with a sweet & sour tang and a red-tinged broth. I've settled on tomato paste as cheap and the right tomato-iness for us. I used to freeze cubes of crushed tomatoes and use five or so in a batch of soup. One friend put garden-fresh tomatoes in.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 10-12
• Yields: 10 bowls

Ingredients

• 2  large onions
• 1⁄2 head garlic
• 2  stalks celery
• 2  large carrots
• 1⁄4 cup  olives or 1⁄4 cup  grapeseed oil
• 1  tablespoon sea salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (5 1/2ounce) can tomato paste
• 5  bay leaves
• 3⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1  whole cabbage
• 1  tablespoon dried parsley

Directions

1. Boil two quarts of water in a kettle.
2. Dice 2 large onions and 1/2 head of garlic.
3. Slice 2 stalks of celery and 2 large carrots.
4. Cover the bottom of an 8-quart pot with olive or grape seed oil and stir-fry the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots. Add at least a tablespoon of sea salt and lots of black pepper. When hot, not tender, pour in the boiling water and boil another kettle of water.
5. Add tomato paste, 5 bay leaves, 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the pot and boil.
6. Slice a whole cabbage as small as you'll be comfortable eating. Put it in the pot as you get it sliced, and add the second kettle of water after it's boiling.
7. If you have fresh parsley, chop a good bunch inches Otherwise throw in a handful of dried parsley.
8. Cover the pot and boil the heck out of it. It's done when the celery is no longer hard and the thick parts of the cabbage are a bit translucent. The pot can cool overnight on the counter before you store it in the fridge.