Cabbage Patch

Moving past the glam of Valentine's Day to the noticeably thinning resources of our farmers' market brings us to cabbages in all their colors and nutritional glory. Cabbages offer protection from cancer, especially breast and colon. (Red cabbage has the more powerful antioxidants.) The juice is anti-inflammatory and can calm ulcers. The whole package is rich in Vitamins K, B6 and C, as well as omega fatty acids.  So load up while you can, reprising the green cabbage recipes for St. Patrick's Day when cabbage typically cooked with corned beef is traditional fare. And don't think cabbage has to be doughty; these recipes bring glam to the gloom of February. (I posted a cabbage, bean and sausage soup two weeks back so you can add it to this medley.)

Braised Red Cabbage with Chestnuts, Apples and Smoked Meats

not my photo

A handsome, hearty party dish that's a great alternative to the traditional choucroute garni (sauerkraut, aka fermented cabbage) because it has no potatoes or other starch. It shows off the affinity cabbage has for apples. Despite the long list of ingredients, it's a snap to pull together.

serves 6-8

2 heads red cabbage

1 sm can unsweetened chestnut meats

2 lg yellow onions, peeled and chopped

2 tsp juniper berries

1 tsp caraway seed

1 tbsp celery seed

1 tbsp dried thyme leaves

1/2 c dry white wine

3 lg Granny Smith apples, washed, peeled and cored

1 lb smoked sausage of your choice, cut into 1" thick disks

1/2 lb smoked ham, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

1 lb pork tenders, cut into thin strips

1 hot sausage or chorizo, cut into thin disks

2 beef knockwurst, cut into 2" disks

1/2 c apple cider

1 lemon, juice only

olive oil for the pan

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Core and shred the cabbages. Generously coat the bottom of a large heavy lidded casserole with the olive oil and heat over medium. Add onion, juniper berries, celery and caraway seeds, thyme and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté over med/low heat until onion is soft, 3-5 min. Add the pork, knockwurst, sausages and ham. Brown the meats over med heat. Then deglaze the pan with 1/4 c wine.

Cut the apples into thin wedges. Add to the casserole pan with the cabbage, remaining wine, cider and chestnut meats. Add 1/2 the lemon juice and blend everything. Cover the pan and cook on low heat 30 min or until cabbage is very soft and tender. Season with salt and the remaining lemon juice and extra black pepper to your taste. Keep on simmer until ready to serve with a crunchy green salad.

Hot Green Cabbage and Bacon Salad

not my photo

This recipe comes from the Auvergne region of south central France where it's called Emince de choux verts aux lardons. A warm salad is unique in the US but should be very welcome on these winter days.

serves 6

1/2 med green cabbage, core removed

6 oz slab bacon, cut into bite-size cubes

1/2 c red wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Cut cabbage into long thin shreds (not in a processor). Pile them into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let it sit 15 minutes. While it does, in a large deep skillet, cook the bacon chunks over medium heat, stirring, until they are crisp. Turn the heat higher and turn on your fan. Stand back, look away and pour the vinegar into the pan. It will billow smoke. When it stops, add cabbage and turn it over to coat in the liquid. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and cook five minutes, stirring occasionally. The cabbage should be slightly wilted but still slightly crisp. Serve immediately with a cup of tomato soup and hot crusty bread.

Cabbage Tart

not mine/uses red cabbage

I have a version of this in Veggiyana, The Dharma of Cooking so I'm posting another version here. The difference is that in the book it's a crisp--no crust so no fuss; here it has pie crust which you can make yourself or buy. The photo, not mine, used red cabbage. You can use green too.

serves 6

For the crust if you choose to make your own and not buy one

1 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, cut into bits

2 lg egg yolks, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp ice water

raw rice or weights to bake the shell empty

In a lg bowl or processor, combine flour, salt, butter and blend until the mix looks like coarse meal. Slowly add the liquid egg yolks/water, mixing just enough to blend into dough. Add 1 tbsp more water if necessary. Form the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly with your hand, wrap in wax paper and chill 1 hr. 

Roll the dough into a round 1/8" thick and about 12" in diameter. Butter a 10" removable bottom tart pan and press the dough into it. It should be about 1/4" taller than the side of the pan. Prick the bottom lightly with a fork 2-3 times and chill again 30 min.  

Preheat oven to 425º. 

Line the crust with wax paper and fill it with raw rice or pie weights. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 10 min. Remove the rice/weights and waxed paper and continue to bake 8-10 min until it is golden. Cool.

NOTE: If you buy a pre-made crust, do all this with it to bring it up to speed.

For the Cabbage filling

1 lb cabbage red or green, cored and cut into thin shreds

1 tbsp unsalted butter

2 extra lg eggs

1 egg yolk

1/4 c sour cream

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 c heavy cream

1 tsp caraway seed

1/4 c grated Gruyere cheese

Fill a large pot with salted water, bring to a boil and add the cabbage. Cook 5 min or until cabbage is tender. Drain carefully, squeezing out any excess liquid. 

In a large heavy skillet, melt the butter over med heat, add cabbage and sauté 2 min, stirring so it absorbs the butter. Add salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and cool.

While it does, preheat oven to 350º.

in a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolk, sour cream, a pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper and finally the heavy cream.  

Spoon the cabbage into the cooling crust and sprinkle on the caraway seed. Pour the cream mixture over it. Top with the cheese. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and put in the middle of the oven to bake 30 min or until the liquid has gelled. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the rim to serve.  You can serve warm or at room temperature. Great with a colorful citrus salad.

Cabbage and Beans
From Italy where they know a thing or two about flavor. You can serve this with grilled Italian sausages or, if you are vegetarian you could spoon it over cooked fregola or with polenta.
serves 6 

 3 tbsp olive oil
3 oz prosciutto, cut into thin julienne strips 1" long
3 lg garlic cloves, minced
1 sm onion, diced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lbs savoy cabbage (it's round green), shredded
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 c canned Cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained well
1/3 c fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to your taste (but remember, the prosciutto is salty)

Heat the oil in a large, lidded skillet. Add prosciutto, garlic and onion and saute´over med/hi heat until onion is soft and translucent, 3-5 min.  Add crushed pepper flakes and stir to blend. Add cabbage and mix well. 
In a small bowl stir 1 c water into the tomato paste, then pour over the cabbage. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally 20 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Add the beans and 1/4 c parsley to the pan. Cover and cook another 5 minutes to heat the beans thoroughly. Check and adjust salt to your taste.  Boil off any excess liquid. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve hot.


Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

not my photo

This is what you make on a snow day when you have time and hands. You can freeze half for busier times. They actually aren't as much work as they seem because the filling is a cinch to make and it doesn't take long to roll it up in the cabbage leaves. This is the winter Eastern European version with meat and mushrooms. If you are vegetarian I offer an option at the asterisks.
serves 6

1 lg green cabbage (green is more traditional here)
1/2 c olive oil
2 c beef broth
1 c tomato sauce (your own, canned or even marinara spaghetti sauce)
1 tsp dried thyme

for the actual stuffing
1 lb lean ground beef (you can use lamb for a more Mediterranean flavor)**
1 extra lg egg
1 med onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
pinch ground cinnamon
1/3 c mushrooms, finely chopped
3/4 c uncooked white rice (not instant)
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
**if you are vegetarian you can try using 1 cup white beans, 1/4 c raisins and 1/3 c pine nuts.
Core the cabbage. Fill a large pot with water, salt it and bring to a boil. Add the whole cabbage. Boil 5-8 min, then remove from water and drain well. Carefully separate the leaves. When you get to the smaller ones deep inside, use them to line the bottom or a Dutch oven or heavy gauge lidded casserole.

Combine all the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  

Lay a few of the largest cabbage leaves in front of you next to the filling bowl. Please a heaping soup spoon of filling into each large leaf.  Fold the leaf ends on either side up over the stuffing and hopefully they meet. Then from an open end roll each leaf up like making a cigar or eggroll. Roll tightly by which I mean not sloppily because you have to leave a little room for the rice to expand as it cooks without ripping open the soft leaves. Continue this process until you've used up all the cabbage leaves.

Arrange the rolls in tight rows in the lined casserole. 
In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, thyme, sour cream and olive oil. Brush or spoon this mixture over the cabbage rolls. Lightly salt and pepper. Pour the beef broth over everything. If it doesn't cover the top of the rolls, add enough water or white wine to get it there. If you had any leftover stuffing sprinkle it around now.     

Cover the rolls with a heavy plate or upside down pot lid to weight them down and simmer over low heat one hour. Remove to a deep platter and spoon the sauce over them to serve. Garnish with fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped.


Beef and Cabbage Soup from Tashkent
In this soup with a distinctly Central Asian/Russian cast of ingredients, we see cabbage paired with another good friend, the prune.
serves 8

2 lbs beef brisket
3 tbsp corn or sunflower or vegetable oil
5 c water
4 c beef broth/stock
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lg yellow onion, peeled and diced
1/2 med green cabbage, shredded
1 28 oz can tomatoes with juice
2 tbsp tomato paste
10 dried prunes, pitted
1/4 c golden raisins
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
To Serve: Sour cream

Put the oil in a large soup pot and heat over med. Add the brisket and try to brown it on both sides for 3 min each.  Then add the water and beef broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook 30 min. Skim off the foam. 

While the meat cooks, in a large skillet, melt the butter over med/low heat and sauté the onion until soft, 3-5 min. Add the shredded cabbage and sauté 5 min to soften it. Add half the canned tomatoes with their juice and cook 10 min over low heat, stirring occasionally.  Then pour the cabbage mixture into the beef pot. Add the remaining tomatoes and their juice. Stir in the tomato paste, prunes, raisins, salt, lemon juice, brown sugar, honey and 1 tbsp fresh dill.  Bring the soup to a boil, lower heat, partially cover the pot and simmer 60-75 min until the meat is very very tender. Remove the hunk of meat from the soup and cut it into bite-size cubes. Return them to the pot and heat thoroughly. 
To serve: add the remaining fresh dill. Put a bowl of sour cream on the table for people to add.