Who could accuse this of being dull?
I didn't grow the vegetable pictured here, but I wish I had. We bought it in the supermarket, but I thought it so photogenic that I felt it needed a brief moment of glory before disappearing into a pan.
This is a variety of cabbage called "January King". The leaves are lightly "savoyed" - in other words they are knobbly / blistered. It is pretty hardy and will withstand the sort of Winter conditions we get in England most years.
Its centre is firm and tightly-packed, becoming progressively lighter-coloured towards the heart.
So here's a question for you folks: if you had this cabbage in your fridge, what dish(es) would you cook with it? Please leave me a comment with your ideas.
P.S. How could I publish a post without at least one picture of one of my own veg? This is Cavolo Nero. Not a true cabbage perhaps, more of a kale, but definitely part of the Brassica family, so a close relative.
This photo was taken on 14 February. I think the Cavolo Nero has done well to look so fresh despite the Winter conditions.
My last photo for this post is an "arty" one, just zooming in on one of those translucent Cavolo Nero leaves. Notice the little spherical raindrop...
Cabbages are great, there's loads of variety as long as you avoid rows of the same type which can be a bit dull.
ReplyDeleteI love cabbages too, and like Damo think they can be gorgeous when you grow lots of different varieties. 'January King' is on my wishlist to grow, and I'm even more keen seeing your pic. Re cooking cabbage, our favourite way to eat it is stir-fried with smoked bacon bits, red onion and garlic. Sometimes sprouts too, I love them slightly charred. I also like adding the Hispi type into stir-frys of various sorts.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful cabbage, a piece of edible art! I'm fan of cabbage and beef, I don't have any recipes as I make it up as I go. Thanks again for the blog award, much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteOoo that photo of the cavolo nero is just gorgeous, look at it bathed in sunshine there.
ReplyDeleteMy all time favourite cabbage dish is "kimchi", which is a spicy Korean dish, quite common in the plethora of Korean restaurants that have sprung up here in Brisbane. I have never prepared it myself though, and it's not just a simple recipe.
Take a look here: http://drbenkim.com/how-make-kim-chi.htm
A silly pop up window appears on this site, just click to get rid of it.
Your Cavolo Nero is a beauty and the "zoom" picture is very artistic! The January King from the supermarket is quite colorful...maybe not a true cabbage but kin none-the-less! I like colorful raw cabbage cut up in salads...used to like cole slaw but it's been done to death in the south (USA). I like to add cabbage to veggie soup for additional flavor. And here in the states it's still relatively inexpensive to purchase!
ReplyDeleteHere in Japan we eat cabbages every week all year round. My favourite way to eat them is okonomiyaki a savoury Japanese pancake packed full of cabbage, onions and some type of meat or seafood. A BBQ style sauce is smothered over the top with a little mayo and pickled ginger on the side. When I make it for my veggie disking kids I pack it full of any veggie I have available and they still demolish it. Divine!!
ReplyDeleteI second the kimichi too, but it really stinks when you make it :(
As always, lovely pictures! Now what to do with it? Braised? Sourkraut? Bubble and squeak?
ReplyDeleteWhat would I do with that lovely cabbage? Well, depends...
ReplyDeleteOne option could be a salad with finely shredded cabbage, glass noodles, toasted almonds, orange segments and a sweet'n'sour dressing of white balsamic vinegar, a few drops of sesame oil, sunflower oil (or other neutral oil), a drizzle of honey and a pinch of cinnamon.
A more traditional Danish recipe would be to roughly chop the cabbage leaves, steam them until nearly tender and then heat it through for a few minutes in a white sauce of butter, flour, milk, a pinch of salt and a generous amount of nutmeg.
Cabbage (or sprouts or generally most brassica plants) can also be used to make a light risotto; gently parboil the shredded/chopped cabbage leaves in a little salted water, drain and set aside, using the cabbage water with some chicken stock as the liquid for a traditional risotto with just arborio rice, shallots, perhaps a clove of garlic. Stir the cabbage leaves into the risotto, add copious amounts of grated parmesan cheese and serve it at once.
God, I'm hungry now!
I think it looks too pretty to eat it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know any recipes for it as we usually eat cabbage shredded in a salad or as sauerkraut.
Wish we had some cabbages to cook - the frost and snow have turned them to mush and the unlmistakeable smell of rotting cabbages coming from fields around us fills the air.
ReplyDeleteI have a recipe for a sort of stir fry with cooked pork strips, celery, carrot, onion and soy sauce. Fry the carrots, celery and onion for 5 minutes. Add cooked rice, cabbage, soy sauce, pork strips and seasoning a couple of minutes before the end of cooking to warm through (you can moisten with some chicken stock if it is too dry). Garnish with strips of omelette. Haven't done it for a while though!
Thanks for all the lovely recipe ideas, folks. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that gardening is only half the story - cooking and eating your own produce is hugely satisfying as well! I for one would like to see more Foodie ideas on all the blogs I follow, since I love to find out about different styles of cooking from around the world.
ReplyDeleteI try and keep my blog for gardening and garden wildlife so I don't diversify too much but have a whole recipe section on my website here Maybe I'll add a button somewhere on my blog
ReplyDelete@GLA - I continue to be amazed and impressed with the sheer wealth of information emanating from your site! To be honest, I was not aware of your recipe pages. I shall have to go and explore them now...
ReplyDeleteJust for you Mark I have added a tab at the top of my blog to the recipes page on my website
ReplyDeleteLove the photos! I've never thought of cabbages as being dull either... Besides tasting great they add a lot of color and interest to the garden! As for how I would prepare the cabbage--I would eat it raw!!
ReplyDeleteit is a very good looking cabbage! i am sure it tasted delicious.
ReplyDeleteI still say cabbages are a naff vegetable!!! :P Reminds me of something slapped on the side of my plate with a dollop of salty mash in primary school. For youngsters like me Mark, they're old fashioned and out dated!!! :P
ReplyDeleteCraig; I cannot agree. As someone who endured many years of dreadful food at boarding school, you would expect me to be dead-anti cabbage, and we did indeed get some very poor cabbage, but I've got over that bad experience now, and I know that if you treat cabbage properly it can become a delicacy. The secret is not to over-cook it. I'm going to try the Danish recipe that Soren wrote about...
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