Cabbage is a much-maligned vegetable, but its versatility is astounding
and is a wonderful resource for many varying culinary dishes.
Cabbages have evolved into a diverse family and have been challenging chefs to keep coming up with new ways to use them. Cabbage is good braised, steamed, fried or sautéed. It's the basis of American coleslaw, German Sauerkraut and many oriental dishes.
It is inexpensive and grows easily in many conditions and is plentiful now at your farmers' market. Americans are very familiar with the head cabbage, which comes in many varieties from green to red. Then there is Bok Choy, the mild-flavored Asian cabbage in bright colors. Chinese cabbages have oblong heads with thin, juicy, full-flavored leaves. Each presents a never-ending list of uses and all are found locally produced.
Cabbage is a great accompaniment to rich meat dishes and all root vegetables. It goes well with spices, red wine, apples, onions, chestnuts, radishes, beets and sour cream. My family loves stuffed cabbage on a cold winter night. I like it as it lends itself to be cooked ahead, frozen and then ready to go on days that are short for time. My husband loves them in a tomato sauce and my daughter covered in a soy sauce. I could see them being finished in a wine and brown sugar topping. They are generous in their adaptation to personal tastes. Your palate is the selecting criteria.
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground meat
(beef, lamb, turkey, sausage)
1 large egg
1¼2 cup bread crumbs (West Village
market crumbs are super)
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
(white for oriental, mixed
brown/white ok with tomato)
1/2 cup water
1 large carrot, grated
1 large garlic clove,
minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 savory or green
cabbage
(approximately
2 lbs.)
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls:
Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl - except the cabbage - and set aside. Cut out the core of the cabbage. Drop the cabbage into 3-4 qts. of boiling water. Boil for 5-10 minutes and remove from the pot and carefully remove the softened out leaves. Return the cabbage to the simmering water to continue softening the inner leaves as you begin to stuff the leaves. Leaves need to be supple enough to roll. Wrap the meat mixture in the leaves and fold much like you would a tortilla. (Stuffing down center, fold in the sides and roll up the middle). Repeat this process until all the stuffing is used. You can tie them closed with string or place seam side down to cook. At this point you can freeze (up to a month) or store (up to 3 days) for later use.
Hubby's Tomato-based sauce:
Chop up one cup of cabbage leaves (can use remaining cabbage leaves from above). Combine with
1 medium onion chopped. In a large Dutch oven-type pot, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and add the chopped cabbage/onion mixture and sauté until golden brown. Then add 1/2 cup dry white or red wine and bring to a boil, then reduce immediately to a simmer for 5 minutes.
Add 4 large tomatoes, diced with their juices,
1 cup of water, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 8 gingersnap cookies, crumbled and
1 tbsp. of lemon juice. Bring all this to a boil for 5 minutes. Then reduce heat and add cabbage rolls, seam side down, adding a little water to just cover rolls. Cover and simmer for
11/2 hours, shaking pan a couple of times throughout, to be sure sauce does not stick. Serve hot with sour cream.
The Saratoga Farmers' Market moves inside this Saturday, November 7, to a new bigger location at the Division Street Elementary School. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a wonderful array of vendors, both old and new.
It is inexpensive and grows easily in many conditions and is plentiful now at your farmers' market. Americans are very familiar with the head cabbage, which comes in many varieties from green to red. Then there is Bok Choy, the mild-flavored Asian cabbage in bright colors. Chinese cabbages have oblong heads with thin, juicy, full-flavored leaves. Each presents a never-ending list of uses and all are found locally produced.
Cabbage is a great accompaniment to rich meat dishes and all root vegetables. It goes well with spices, red wine, apples, onions, chestnuts, radishes, beets and sour cream. My family loves stuffed cabbage on a cold winter night. I like it as it lends itself to be cooked ahead, frozen and then ready to go on days that are short for time. My husband loves them in a tomato sauce and my daughter covered in a soy sauce. I could see them being finished in a wine and brown sugar topping. They are generous in their adaptation to personal tastes. Your palate is the selecting criteria.
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground meat
(beef, lamb, turkey, sausage)
1 large egg
1¼2 cup bread crumbs (West Village
market crumbs are super)
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
(white for oriental, mixed
brown/white ok with tomato)
1/2 cup water
1 large carrot, grated
1 large garlic clove,
minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 savory or green
cabbage
(approximately
2 lbs.)
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls:
Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl - except the cabbage - and set aside. Cut out the core of the cabbage. Drop the cabbage into 3-4 qts. of boiling water. Boil for 5-10 minutes and remove from the pot and carefully remove the softened out leaves. Return the cabbage to the simmering water to continue softening the inner leaves as you begin to stuff the leaves. Leaves need to be supple enough to roll. Wrap the meat mixture in the leaves and fold much like you would a tortilla. (Stuffing down center, fold in the sides and roll up the middle). Repeat this process until all the stuffing is used. You can tie them closed with string or place seam side down to cook. At this point you can freeze (up to a month) or store (up to 3 days) for later use.
Hubby's Tomato-based sauce:
Chop up one cup of cabbage leaves (can use remaining cabbage leaves from above). Combine with
1 medium onion chopped. In a large Dutch oven-type pot, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and add the chopped cabbage/onion mixture and sauté until golden brown. Then add 1/2 cup dry white or red wine and bring to a boil, then reduce immediately to a simmer for 5 minutes.
Add 4 large tomatoes, diced with their juices,
1 cup of water, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 8 gingersnap cookies, crumbled and
1 tbsp. of lemon juice. Bring all this to a boil for 5 minutes. Then reduce heat and add cabbage rolls, seam side down, adding a little water to just cover rolls. Cover and simmer for
11/2 hours, shaking pan a couple of times throughout, to be sure sauce does not stick. Serve hot with sour cream.
The Saratoga Farmers' Market moves inside this Saturday, November 7, to a new bigger location at the Division Street Elementary School. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a wonderful array of vendors, both old and new.
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