Cooking With Cabbage

This recipe is the reason I grow cabbage.  I make it two or three times every summer when the cabbage is ready to be harvested.  Fancier variations can be found online, but I like this one.  It is simple and can be made quickly.


Cabbage Roll Casserole

• 1.5 - 2 lbs ground beef 
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 14 oz tomato sauce
• 14 oz water
• 1/2 uncooked long grain rice
• 4 cups shredded green cabbage  (I just use the whole cabbage)
• sour cream (optional)

Brown beef with onions, garlic, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, and water.  Bring to a boil and stir in rice.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Place 1/2 of the cabbage in a greased baking dish or dutch oven.  Cover with 1/2 rice mixture.  Repeat layers.

Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  Serve with sour cream, if desired.  May be refrigerated before baking.



I haven't yet found a red cabbage dish that induces cravings like the one above.  This recipe from jamieoliver.com just might do it.   I hope to try it in a few weeks.



Red Cabbage Braised With Apple, Bacon, and Balsamic Vinegar

• olive oil
• 2 rashers higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, bashed
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 good eating apples, peeled and chopped into 2.5cm pieces
• 1 red cabbage, outer leaves and core removed, chopped into irregular chunks
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 150 ml balsamic vinegar 
• 1 small knob butter and 1 handful of fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
  
  
  
  
  "Pour a good lug of olive oil into a saucepan, get it hot and add the bacon and fennel seeds.
  
  
  Cook until golden then add the onion and continue to cook, with the lid on, for a few more minutes until golden and sticky. 
  
  
  Add the apple, followed by the cabbage chunks, salt and pepper and the vinegar, and stir everything together well. Put the lid back on and continue to cook on a low heat for an hour, checking and stirring every so often. 
  
  
  You will end up with a gorgeously sticky-sweet cabbage dish that you'll want to eat immediately, straight out of the pan!  Or, if you can wait long enough, scoop it into a serving dish, pop the butter on top and sprinkle over the parsley."