Thursday, January 20, 2011

The winter vegetable

The weather may be trying to trick me into thinking that it's July, but I know better. Cabbage is piling up in our fridge. Clearly, it must be eaten. I'm easy because I like it Greek - sliced, tossed with lemon juice, white vinegar and pinches of salt, pepper and sugar. Add shredded carrots if you're feeling fancy.

Others in our house must be cajoled. And so I try. I make Molly's braised cabbage - tender and mixed with onions and carrots. I eat it for lunch and dinner, adding a poached egg for protein.

braised cabbage, egg
{braised cabbage, egg}

I saute red cabbage gently with sage and butter, finish it with vinegar, keeping it just slightly crisp. Almost like a salad, but more interesting.

red cabbage
{red cabbage}

D gamely tries each of these but cannot get over the very cabbage-ness of it. As we approach the end of January, I must admit I can sympathize. I find myself staring at the drawer full of cabbage and willing myself to feel enthusiastic. At least, I think, it lasts for a very long time. I can put off this decision for another few days.

To investigate, soon - more recipes.

29 comments:

  1. I love cabbage. . . in theory. I still have a half a head in my fridge from last week, though, and I can't for the life of me decide what to do with it- I might just have to try Molly's braised cabbage- Orangette has never done me wrong before!

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  2. Your recipes sounds yummy! I want to try the braised cabbage. We like to make spicy Asian style slaw with our cabbage. It makes a great side dish or add it in with fish tacos. Yum!

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  3. I'm definitely trying the braised cabbage recipe. Our weekly veg box keeps bringing cabbage in all its guises and but my husband is not a fan. He flat out refused to eat cavolo nero last week.
    Weirdly he loves red cabbage.

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  4. I love cabbage! Honestly, I think once it's cooked down, it doesn't even taste cabbage-y anymore. Plus, with the right accompaniments, it can make the perfect forkful of flavors.

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  5. My favourite recipe for cabbage:

    This coleslaw is SO good but I cut the mayo and sour cream way down.http://mexican.food.com/recipe/guys-chipotle-lime-slaw-389379

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  6. one of my favorite ways to eat cabbage is also from molly

    http://orangette.blogspot.com/2009/01/best-we-can-hope-for.html

    so good with a poached egg on top.

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  7. These recipes look delicious! I never knew cabbage could be so versatile. I'm more of a sauerkraut girl-it's a PA thing for sure.

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  8. My grandma used to slice it up and sauté it with onions and bacon and a few splashes of soy sauce, with a handful or 2 of peanuts tossed in at the end. It's tasty, with or without the bacon.

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  9. mmm they all look good... this year i'm making a big effort to try new cold-weather veggies - so far i've eaten/cooked with kale, swiss chard, leeks, and several different types of squash for the first time. i haven't used cabbage yet, i love the idea of sage (i'll take an excuse to use sage in anything!) so maybe i'll be adding those items to my grocery list this week! (my poor husband is also the main person affected by my culinary experiments, which don't usually take into account whether he likes or dislikes an item before i cook it, luckily for him most of the time they turn out pretty well!)
    xo meg

    ps, your poached egg looks divine. mine never turn out like that :)

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  10. hmmm, cabbage, eh? it looks delicious

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  11. I've never really eaten much cabbage, but this is inspiring me to start eating it! Thanks for sharing!
    ~Andrea

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  12. My grandmothers both make delicious stuffed cabbage with rice, ground beef, and whatever spices are on hand--it's not the usual fare I see on your blog, but it's a pretty tasty dish. This recipe is good: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/rice-stuffed-cabbage

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  13. that braised cabbage looks pretty darn good, for cabbage! :) poached eggs make everything better!

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  14. What about a cabbage soup? (with spicy sausage for us meat eaters) and I second the idea of making fish tacos and throwing it in.

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  15. You guys are amazing - I'm going to have to look at all these suggestions!

    @ Katie Bee - I actually love stuffed cabbage and I've never made it! I will purchase it at my favorite deli, though. I think it's time to try that recipe.

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  16. I love cabbage, especially raw! I like it blanched then cooked with a bit of butter and salt & better hmmm. Overcook it and it starts to stink all yucky.

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  17. I adore sage. Such a GREAT herb.

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  18. i loooove cabbage! it is wonderful in soups like tom kah gai, and also awesome thinly shredded in a salad. :)

    p.s. -- working on an email to you! expect it tonight or early tomorrow. xoxo

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  19. yes! cabbage! i had two separate cabbage-love conversations today. what a good winter topic!

    i agree with jessica about molly's recipe for spicy cabbage with a poached egg. so good.

    also, i like it thinly shredded with olive oil, saved parmesan, lemon juice and salt. i CRUSH this.

    thanks for the pretty photos and the greek style suggestion.

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  20. i adore simple, braised, seasoned cabbage

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  21. I love cabbage and I'm always looking for new recipes. Thank you :)

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  22. That first picture looks amazing! The egg is poached to perfection. Definitely going on my "to try" list.

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  23. greek style sounds delicious, i will have to try that as it sounds similar to the brussel sprouts i have recently become addicted to: sauteed with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper and then topped off with lemon juice and almonds..so good!

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  24. If you like reuben sammies and have fridge space, make a bunch of sauer kraut! It's amazingly good for digestion since it hasn't been pasteurized like the store bought kinds. You can pack it in large mouth canning jars and it will keep a long time. Really yummy on a tempeh reuben too.

    Otherwise, my two favorite meals that include cabbage are all kinds of veggies (including the cabbage) saute'ed and mixed in with some soba or udon noodles. They kind of hide the cabbage strings in there, and with lots of garlic, ginger and sesame oil, what's not to love? Some sweet chili sauce is the kicker.

    Then I've been making egg rolls lately...a good sized 1/2 - 3/4 cabbage will make about 8 rolls if you make them big. I don't mind using palm shortening or coconut oil for a bit of frying, not so heavy on the stomach. Anyway, mix in a bit of onion and pastured pork sausage and, again, garlic/ginger/sesame, and that will flavor things up. No recipes to give links for, just wing it and you'll be fine.

    Good luck with the bounty. I want to try that braised recipe with egg, thanks!

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  25. Mmm this looks so perfect and hearty for winter. I just learned how to poach eggs over my winter break and have been poaching them like they're going out of style as of late. Have a marvelous weekend!

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  26. I've made Molly's braised cabbage and I've got good sweet n' sour purple cabbage recipe that's never steered me wrong. In fact, I love cabbage in all forms and am happy to eat it all year round. I do think I'll add an egg next time I braise some cabbage, it sounds delightful.

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  27. I was eyeing some cabbage at the store the other night (it's quite affordable!) but I put it back because I had no idea what to do with it. The purple cabbage with the sage and putter sound perfect and cozy. I may have to try that. I'll just do what I always do... mix it with lentils or quinoa. Or both!

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  28. Until last week, Molly's recipes for cabbage were my favorites too, but then I tried this: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/tassajara-warm-red-cabbage-salad-recipe.html IT IS AMAZING. Who doesn't love a warm salad in January? And with feta and raisins to boot? Perfection.

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