Helping Hands in the Kitchen: Cabbage

September 6, 2022

There are different varieties of cabbage. Some are sweet and mild, like lettuce; others are hard and great for shredding and slicing into steaks for roasting. Cabbage lasts longer in the refrigerator than many vegetables. If you don’t remove leaves or wash them until you are ready to use them, they could last up to 2 months in the fridge! Cabbage is excellent in salads, soups, and coleslaw. It’s great roasted, boiled, stir-fried, stuffed, steamed, fried, grilled, and fermented (for sauerkraut).

Boil:

Cook just until tender. Do not cook in aluminum pans. Use stainless steel. It helps to add a few drops of vinegar or wipe the inside lid with vinegar.

Steam:

Steam wedges of cabbage for 5-7 minutes. Top with butter and a pinch of salt and pepper or grated cheese.

Sear:

Sear the cabbage in a very hot pan with a little olive oil and butter, salt, and pepper. The cabbage will wilt.

Roasting:

Get the pan hot in the oven. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and let it roast until just caramelized.

Sautés and Stir-Fries:

Delicious with peppers and onions, etc.

Coleslaw:

Chop or shred cabbage and toss with carrots, green onions, and a yogurt or mayonnaise dressing or vinaigrette.

SAUTÉED CABBAGE IN MILK/CREAM WITH BUTTER

This is great with pork or chicken. Quantities are up to you. If you have leftovers, you can save them and add them to another recipe in this blog.

Ingredients

• Cabbage
• Butter or margarine
• Milk or cream
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Boil the cabbage cut into shreds or bite-sized pieces until tender.
2. Drain, put back on the stove and add the butter or margarine, and milk or cream.
3. Add salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust for flavor. Serve.

CABBAGE COLESLAW

This is my favorite recipe for coleslaw. My mother-in-law shared this particular recipe many years ago.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds shredded cabbage
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup whipping cream, not whipped

Instructions

1. Place shredded cabbage covered in the refrigerator for several hours.
2. Mix other ingredients in the order given for 30 minutes before serving.
3. Pour over drained cabbage. Chill and serve.
4. You may add purple cabbage, carrots, and onions if you prefer.

STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES

This is a Mediterranean-style dish.

Ingredients

• 12 largest leaves from the cabbage head
• ¾ cup white rice (long-grain, basmati, or jasmine)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ cup pine nuts (optional)
• 1 cup fine herbs (such as parsley, dill, tarragon, or your choice)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 egg
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• Pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot, cook the leaves in low boiling water, salted, until tender and soft. Be careful, they tear easily, and we want to use the whole leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes.
2. Cool in cold water. Be careful, but drain on a clean kitchen towel on a baking sheet – remember they may be hot, and they definitely will be easily torn – we want whole leaves.
3. In the large pot, add oil, and cook the onion 7-9 minutes until tender.
4. Add nuts if using and cook 5 minutes.
5. Add herbs and cook 2 more minutes.
6. Add the lemon juice and cool 5 minutes.
7. Cook the rice separate until al dente. They finish cooking after wrapped.
8. Add the filling ingredients including egg together and combine – with salt and pepper. Taste a bit to make sure it is right for you.
9. On a clean surface, take a cabbage leaf and top 3 T. mixture, fold carefully like a burrito, fold sides, fold bottom to top.
10. In the large pot add the butter and water. Heat and on low add the wrapped cabbage leaves, folded side down. Steam on low, covered, for 18-25 minutes until they are tender to the touch.

STUFFED CABBAGE IN TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients

• 12 largest leaves from the cabbage head
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 2 small onions, chopped/diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon dill
• 3 Tablespoons parsley chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can 14 ounces diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cup plus 1/3 cup tomato sauce, divided
• 1 can 10.5 ounces tomato soup, not diluted

Instructions

1. Boil cabbage leaves (largest) in salted boiling water in a large pot until tender.
2. Cook 1 cup of rice in 2 cups of water just until tender. It finishes cooking in the oven.
3. Brown 1 pound ground pork and ½ pound ground beef OR 1 ½ pounds ground pork or beef.
4. Combine onions, garlic, herbs, spices, tomatoes, egg, tomato sauce, and soup until combined well.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
7. Take a cooled cabbage leaf – they will be soft and pliable and easily broken. So, be careful. Take one leaf and add ¼ – 1/3 cup filling and wrap like above, as rolling a burrito.
8. In a casserole dish – at least 19x13x2” place seam side down. Cover with the sauce and add foil on top. Bake 75-90 minutes until tender.
9. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

SAUERKRAUT

Sauerkraut is not only good with pork dishes and hot dogs but in sandwiches, especially Reubens!

Ingredients

• Cabbage, shredded
• Sugar
• Salt
• Water

Instructions

1. Pack the cabbage firmly in hot sterilized jars – like a pint or quart canning jars.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 Tablespoon of salt for each quart of cabbage.
3. Fill the jars with boiling water and seal.
4. Store in a cool dry place. Let them sit for 5-7 weeks at least!

CHOCOLATE CABBAGE BUNDT CAKE WITH WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups green cabbage, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Prepare a 10-12 cup Bundt pan with soft butter and flour to prevent sticking.
2. Whisk together wet ingredients.
3. Stir the dry ingredients together.
4. When combined, add into the egg mixture.
5. Then add ½ cup buttermilk to the mixture – if you do not have buttermilk, use 1/3 t. vinegar or lemon juice and add sweet milk to the ½ cup mark. Let set until slightly curdled.
6. When combined, add 3 cups finely chopped green cabbage. STIR into mixture.
7. Add ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.
8. Combine.
9. Pour into the prepared Bundt pan and bake in the 350 deg F oven for 1 hour. Test with a cake tester or a toothpick for doneness.
10. Cool on a rack 45 minutes before turning on a rack to finish cooling.

FROSTING:

Ingredients

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces cream cheese, cubed

Instructions

1. Whip heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt with a mixer with the whisk attachment for 1-2 minutes on medium-low until the sugar dissolves.
2. Then add 6 ounces cold cream cheese, cubed, one cube at a time and whisking with mixer 1 minute each after each cube.
3. It will look curdled! Scrape every 30 seconds. Keep whisking until smooth – you should only see a few small cream cheese bits – do this for about 2 minutes.
4. Then frost the cake and top with a few mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.
5. Serve and enjoy!

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH CABBAGE

Ingredients

• 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• ½ cup chopped carrot
• ½ cup green beans
• ½ cup chopped zucchini
• ½ cup diced tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Add a little olive oil to a big pot. Sauté the carrot, onion, and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the broth.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except zucchini and tomato. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until tender.
4. Add the zucchini and tomato and simmer for 5 more minutes. Until tender.

TIP: You could add corn kernels, peas, chicken (cooked), and beans.

Bon Appétit
With Love,