Archive: Arts & Entertainment

While many of you only eat cabbage after it has been rendered into coleslaw or as sauerkraut on your hotdog, it should be used much more frequently. I know, I know… it is one of the vegetables in the veggie isle of the supermarket that makes one wonder, “Even if you like cabbage, how can one make it through that giant green head in a timely manner?”

Well, let’s start from the beginning. “Why buy it?” Cabbage is still a staple in many poorer parts of the world because it lasts in freshness for months and is loaded with essential nutrients. Cabbage is extremely diverse. You find it in the Chinese supermarkets as spicey, pickled ‘Kimchee’- the hot, garlicky, pickled version used as a staple in million of Asian households. Eastern Europeans use whole cabbage leaves wrapped around a mixture of ground meat and rice, simmered in tomato sauce, and brought to the table as ‘Pigs in a Blanket’.  Cabbages are in great demand for the famous St. Patty’s Day meal and for many this boiled dinner is the only time of the year the cabbage is espoused, and “Why Not?’ in the company of corned beef.

Sauerkrat is a staple in Germany and Poland. It is frequently cooked in a casserole embracing a kielbasa sausage. According to Wikipedia, sailors typically took barrels of sauerkraut with them on long voyages because of the fiber, vitamins and minerals protected sailors from scurvy and other unpleasant ailments. When the British switched to carrying limes on their long sailing voyages, they became known as ‘Limeys’ and the Germans that stuck with sauerkraut, became known as ‘Krauts’. Sauerkraut is low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of Calcium and Magnesium, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Potassium, Copper, and Manganese. Sauerkraut is very high in sodium.

The German’s and Danish make a holiday meal of red cabbage and apples, or lingon berries, that is out of this world for sweet, savoriness. With a loin of pork you can’t go wrong (Just ask the VeanersJ). In Lansing you rarely see red cabbage except as a shredded ornament on a house salad.

I grew up with my mother making a dish called ‘Dutch Cabbage’. You sautee ½ an onion and a few diced garlic cloves in butter or oil, add 6 cups of coarsely chopped cabbage and 1 large can of stewed, chopped tomatoes, throw in some thyme, pepper, salt, and a bay leaf and simmer until the cabbage is tender. In a separate pot, boil water and cook a bag of egg noodles until tender, drain and add to the cabbage stock. Serve in a bowl with a tablespoon of crumbled, crispy bacon sprinkled on top. Delicious!
 
But whatever you do, do not leave the burner on high with little liquid left and burn the cabbage. I have a vivid memory of going to church with my mother as a child. She left my father with the instructions to heat up the ‘Dutch Cabbage ‘ for our lunch before we were to arrive home. We drove into the driveway to find my father with the hot  pads carrying the Pot of Dutch Cabbage around the driveway with the smoke still pouring out of it  and an expression of confoundment upon his face. He probably turned the burner to high and returned to perusing his Sunday Times until the atrocious smell of burning cabbage breached his reverie and made him race from the house in dismay.

They key to cooking cabbage is to add the cabbage after sautéing the onion and garlic to golden perfection, add a 1/2 cup of water and put a lid on for 5-10 minutes until the cabbage is steamed soft, take the lid off and stir until the water is steamed off leaving the oil or butter, stir the cabbage in the oil over medium heat until its sugars oxidize (golden brown) and it is at its peak of sweetness. You can add finely chopped carrot, broccoli, or pre-cooked ground beef at this stage to diversify the flavors in the dish. A sprinkle of parsley, cumin, or pepper at this time can personalize the flavor to your taste.

When you buy cabbage it is okay to buy a half a head, although a whole one lasts longer. Simply wrap the cabbage in a clean dish towel and sprinkle with cool water before you put it in a zip lock bag. Periodically peel away a few leaves and rewrap it a fresh towel to avoid mold

Brussel sprouts are simply petite cabbages with a slightly different flavor. To get the best out of a brussel sprout: cut of the stem end, clean any yellowing leaves away, slice in half,  and treat as you would the cabbage above. If you’ve ever had plain old steamed or boiled brussel sprouts, they may have been a bit bitter. This is because the brussel sprout is a repository of sulfer. Cutting the sprout open allows the sulfer to leave in a gaseous state and not affect the taste. Adding a citrus note before serving also greatly improves the flavor: ¼ c. of orange juice or ½ a squeezed lemon.

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