Cabbage

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​Cabbage Panade
From Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison
Serves 4

“The cabbage and bread meld into a soft, comforting dish that lies somewhere between a soup and a gratin.”

1 clove garlic and butter, for the gratin dish
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon juniper berries, crushed
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped sage leaves
About 2 pounds smooth green cabbage, quartered and cut into ribbons ½ inch wide
3 to 4 cups stock
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 slices strong-textured dark or light rye bread
1 cup grated Swiss, Gruyere, or more delicate Teleme cheese

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub a 2-quart gratin dish with the garlic and butter.

Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, juniper, and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and ½ cup of the stock season with 1 teaspoon salt, cook until the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes. When it is done, taste for salt and season with pepper.

Place half of the cabbage in the prepared dish. Cover it with the bread and the cheese, then with the remaining cabbage. Pour over the remaining stock.

Bake until bubbling and the edges of the cabbage leaves are attractively browned, about 45 minutes. Spoon the bread and cabbage into soup plates, then pour any juices remaining in the gratin dish around each serving.
​

Stuffed Cabbage
From Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
Serves 4

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 ½ oz. vermicelli noodles (not the rice variety)
7/8 cup basmati rice
1 ¼ cups water
Salt
1 medium cabbage
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
¾ cup ricotta
¼ cup grated Parmesan
3 tbsp. chopped mint
4 tbsp. chopped parsley, plus extra to finish
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
6 tbsp. vegetable stock
1 ½ tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. olive oil

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat.  Break the vermicelli with your hands into ¾-inch-long pieces and add them to the pan.  Stir as you fry them for 1 to 2 minutes.  Take care!  They can burn in a second.  As soon as the noodles start turning golden add the rice and stir well.  Then add the water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to the boil.  Turn the heat down to the minimum, cover and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and leave to sit for 10 minutes before removing the lid and allowing to cool down a bit.
While the rice is cooking, cut the cabbage vertically in half.  Peel off the leaves and blanch them in boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes, or until semisoft.  You may need to do this in a few batches, depending on the size of your pan.  (Alternatively, trim off the base of the cabbage, then put it whole into a pot of boiling water; gradually remove the outer leaves as they cook.)  Refresh the leaves under cold running water, drain and pat dry.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  To the cooked rice add the pine nuts, ricotta, half the parmesan, the herbs, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste; mix well with a fork.  Use the cooked cabbage leaves to make parcels of whatever size you choose, each one containing a generous amount of the rice filling.  Alternatively, make rolls by placing some rice filling at the base of a rectangular-shaped piece of cabbage and then rolling it up; don’t worry that the sides remain open.

Arrange the cabbage parcels close together in an oven proof dish (if you can’t fill up the dish completely use cabbage trimming to fill in the gaps).  Whisk together the wine, stock, sugar, olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper.  Pour this over the cabbage parcels and put the dish in the oven.  Bake for about 40 minutes, or until almost all the liquid is gone.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes for the cheese to melt and turn golden.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

White Beans and Cabbage
From Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, clarified butter, or unsalted butter
4 ounces potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed, and cut into tiny cubes
Fine-grain sea salt
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 cups cooked and cooled white beans, or 1 (15 ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups finely shredded green cabbage
A bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese
​
Pour the olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the potatoes and a big pinch of salt.  Toss, cover, and cook until the potatoes are cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes.  Be sure to scrape the pan and toss the potatoes once or twice along the way so all sides get color.  Stir in the shallot and the beans.  Let the beans cook in a single layer for a couple minutes, until they brown a bit, then scrape and toss again.  Cook until the beans are nicely browned and a bit crispy on all sides.  Stir in the cabbage and cook for another minute, or until the cabbage loses a bit of its structure.  Serve dusted with Parmesan.

Spicy Cabbage Salad with Turkey and Peanuts
From bonappetit.com
Serves 4

½ medium head of green or savoy cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
4 teaspoons white miso
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced on a diagonal, plus ½ cup celery leaves
2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
1 cup cilantro leaves with tender stems
1 cup shredded cooked turkey meat
⅓ cup coarsely chopped salted, roasted skin-on peanuts
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
Toss cabbage and ½ tsp. salt in a large bowl. Massage vigorously with your hands until cabbage begins to release water and soften, about 2 minutes (this will both season and tenderize the leaves). Drain; set aside.
Mix anchovies, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, miso, and sugar in a large bowl; whisk in oil. Add cabbage, celery and celery leaves, scallions, chile, cilantro, and turkey meat to bowl and toss to combine; season with salt.
Serve salad topped with peanuts and sesame seeds.
Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewhisk before using.
​Asian-Inspired Coleslaw
From River Cottage Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
*you could add cucumber to this!
“This is based on a recipe from Taste: A New Way to Cook by the marvelous Sybil Kapoor. It’s wonderfully aromatic, quite unlike any other coleslaw I’ve ever tried, and I urge you to give it a go.”
Serves 6 to 8
1 red onion, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled
1 green cabbage
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
To finish:
Lime juice
Cilantro, if you have it
Put the sliced onions into a large bowl. Cut the carrots into fine julienne with a mandolin or grate them coarsely and add to the bowl. Remove any blemished outer leaves from the cabbage, then quarter and cut away the core. Shred the leaves as finely as you can and combine with the onions and carrots.
For the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients, making sure the honey is dissolved.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss thoroughly. Leave for 10 to 20 minutes to soften and “relax”.
Serve the coleslaw scattered with cilantro and sprinkled with lime juice.

​Traditional Napa Cabbage Kimchi
From Eating Korean by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee

“This is the mother of all kimchi. When Koreans say “kimchi”, this is the kind that comes to everyone’s minds. Good either fresh or fermented, it goes with everything from meats to noodles. You will need a one-gallon glass jar or four 1-quart jars.”

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Water
2 heads Napa cabbage, cut in quarters or 2-inch wedges, depending on size of cabbage
1 bulb garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 (2-inch) piece of ginger root
¼ cup fish sauce or Korean salted shrimp
1 large or 2 medium radishes, peeled and grated
1 bunch of green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 bunch of mustard greens, chopped into 1-inch pieces
½ cup Korean chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Sesame oil (optional)
Sesame seeds (optional)
Dissolve 1 cup salt in ½ gallon water. Soak cabbage in the salt water for 3 to 4 hours.
Combine garlic, ginger, and fish sauce or shrimp in food processor or blender until finely minced.
In a large bowl, combine radish, green onions, mustard greens, garlic mixture, chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt and optional sugar. Toss gently but thoroughly.
Remove cabbage from water and rinse thoroughly. Drain cabbage in colander, squeezing as much water from the leaves as possible. Take cabbage and stuff radish mixture between leaves, working from outside in, starting with the largest leaf to smallest. Do not overstuff, but make sure radish mixture adequately fills leaves. When entire cabbage is stuffed, take one of the larger leaves and wrap tightly around the rest of the cabbage. Divide cabbage among 4 (1-quart) jars or one 1-gallon jar, pressing down firmly to remove any air bubbles.
Let sit 2 to 3 days in a cool place before serving. Remove kimchi from jar and slice into 1-inch length pieces. If serving before kimchi is fermented, sprinkle with a little bit of sesame oil and sesame seeds. Refrigerate after opening.
The kimchi will be good enough to eat straight for up to about 3 weeks. After about 4 weeks, once the kimchi gets too fermented to eat by itself, use it to make hot pots, flatcakes, dumplings, or just plain fried rice.​

​Apple Cider-Braised Cabbage
From Root to Leaf by Steven Satterfield
Serves 6
“The sweet and sour cabbage goes exceptionally well with a mild sausage, such as bratwurst, and a healthy dollop of whole-grain mustard.”
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup fresh-pressed apple cider
½ red onion, cut into crescents
1 head cabbage, quartered, cored, and cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick strips
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the brown sugar and salt in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour the vinegar and apple cider over the sugar and salt, and stir to dissolve. Add the onion and the cabbage, and gently stir and turn to coat with the liquid. Cover the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, and then cover and seal with aluminum foil. Cook for 1 hour; the cabbage should be tender. If using a slow cooker or stove-top method, cover and cook on medium-low heat for a minimum of 1 hour.

​Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing
​From epicurious.com, via Gourmet, August 2008
Serves 4

1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated peeled ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 fresh serrano chile, finely chopped, with seeds
1 small head Napa cabbage (1 1/2 pounds), cored and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, ginger, oil, chile, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 10 minutes.

Crispy Avocado Tacos
From The First Mess Cookbook by Laura Wright
Serves 4 to 5
*Thanks to Mary Cesar of Mary’s Cakes and Pastries for loaning me this gorgeous cookbook, full of healthy recipes!

2 cups rice crackers
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 large ripe, but firm, avocados
16 small corn tortillas, warmed
2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 to 4 radishes, thinly sliced
1 batch Creamy Garlic Dressing (included below)
Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Lime wedges, for serving

Place the rice crackers in the bowl of a food processor. Blitz the crackers on high until they take on the texture of breadcrumbs. Pour the cracker crumbs out into a pie dish or other plate with a lip. Mix the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the cracker crumbs.

Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and extract the pits. Cut the halves into quarters. Then, cut those quarters in half as well. You should have 16 wedges total. Carefully remove the peel from each avocado wedge.

Place the avocado wedges in the dish with the cracker crumbs, and carefully turn them over to coat with crumbs on all sides. Lightly press the crumbs into the avocado to make them stick. Once you have all wedges coated, transfer them to a clean plate.

For each taco, take one warm corn tortilla and lay an avocado wedge down the middle. Pack a small amount of cabbage next to the avocado wedge. Scatter some onion slices, cilantro leaves, and radish slices on top. Finish the taco with a drizzle of Creamy Garlic Dressing, some dabs of hot sauce if you like, and lime wedges. Enjoy immediately.

​Caramelized Cabbage Risotto
From Smitten Kitchen Every Day by Deb Perelman
Makes 4 main servings or 6 appetizer portions

5 tablespoons butter
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
½ small-medium green cabbage, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coarse or Diamond kosher salt, plus more to taste
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock, at room temperature
1 ½ cups Arborio or other starchy short-grain white rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
½ cup finely grated Parmesan or aged Asiago, plus more in shavings for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh chives, minced, for garnish

Caramelize the cabbage
Melt 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil together in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cabbage to the pan, toss them gently with the butter and oil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pan. Let the mixture cook for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice to avoid overcooked spots, then remove the lid, stir in the salt, and cook, stirring, for 20 to 25 minutes, bumping up the heat slightly if necessary, until the cabbage is soft and the onions are moderately caramelized and have taken on a golden color. Keep the closest watch on it in the second half of the cooking time, when it is most eager to scorch and stick. Deglaze with a splash a broth, then scoop the mixture into a bowl.

Make the risotto
Wipe out the pot, and heat 1 ½ tablespoons butter in it over medium-high heat. Add the rice, and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the wine, and stir until absorbed, about 1 minute more. Pour in about 1 cup broth, and cook at a strong simmer, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue simmering and adding broth a splash or two at a time, stirring frequently, and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until the rice is just tender (al dente) and looks creamy but loose, 18 to 20 minutes. Add the cabbage mixture, and, if needed, thin the risotto with another splash or two of broth. Good risotto doesn’t stand in a heap, but likes to spill out into a bit of a puddle in a shallow bowl.

To finish
Remove from the heat, and stir in the cheese, remaining 2 ½ tablespoons butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with a few shavings of cheese and some snipped chives.