Ham shank and cabbage winter soup

Christmas has come and gone and now is the time of year I try to make up for the excesses of Christmas feasts and Hogmanay partying.

2009 was a year of excess; roast duck in bed, potatoes sizzling in goose fat, everything au gratin and countless bottles of lush Cairn o Mohr wine. 2010 was healthier, as I was trying to lose a few pounds and even hitting the gym once or twice. 2011 will be a good year, I can just feel it.

I made this soup a few days ago and let me just say, it was just what I needed. Few things can beat a smoky, warming soup on a cold winters night, and you can't beat throwing in the odd ham shank either!

Ham shank and cabbage winter soup

3 tsp rapeseed oil
450 g smoked ham shank
1 head cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, roughly chopped
3 onions, chopped
5 large tomatoes, quartered
2 L water
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Heat oil in pan. Brown the ham shank and remove.

Sautee onions until softened, then the cabbage and carrots. Return the ham shank to the pot and add water to cover.

Simmer for at least 1 hour, but preferably for as long as possible.

Add the tomatoes to the soup and simmer gently a further 15-20 minutes.

Mmmm...ribs!

I tried something new, I bought a rack of ribs from the Farmers Market last Saturday. I don't usually buy ribs as I never get them quite right - some say you need to pre-boil them and some say don't, and whichever way I've tried they always go a bit tough.

Well, not I know these other ribs must have been inferior ribs. Because I just spread some sauce on these ones and they came out tender and meaty, very tasty.

The magical ribs came from Sunnyside farm in Dumfries and Galloway. I believe there were 12 spare ribs to the rack, and I coated both sides with a mixture of 4 tablespoon Mrs Massey's barbecue sauce and 1 tablespoon dark agave syrup. They went in the oven for 45 minutes at about 170'C and came out perfectly.