“Isn’t there anything to do with cabbage,” people have been
known to ask, “besides making sauerkraut and cole slaw?”
There certainly is, and a quick look through cookbooks will
soon turn up any number of wonderful ways to prepare this
versatile, low-calorie vegetable, which is rich in vitamin
C and contains good amounts of vitamins B1, B2, and A,
along with calcium, phosphorus, and iron.
Homegrown Cabbage Recipes
Homegrown cabbage from your garden can be baked,
steamed, boiled, and stir-fried, and enjoyed in salads,
soups, and stews, though cooking, of course, destroys some
of the nutrients. (If you notice a strong odor when cooking
cabbage, you may be using too high a heat or too much
water. Some people claim that half a walnut dropped in the
water will eliminate the odor problem.) Here are just a few
MOTHER-tested dishes we think you’ll enjoy.
Cabbage and Rice Soup Recipe
3 tablespoons margarine
1 pound shredded cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced onions
6 cups homemade chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup rice
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
Melt margarine in a 4-quart kettle. Rinse cabbage and add
to margarine along with onions. Cook over medium heat for
about 10 minutes. Add broth, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add rice and cook 20
minutes or until rice is tender. Ladle into bowls and
garnish with cheese. Serves 8.
Per serving: 300 cal., 13 g pro., 8 g carbo., 15 g fat, 751
mg sodium. U.S. RDA: 14% vit. A, 23% vit. C, 40% calcium.
Greek Stuffed Cabbage Recipe
1 large head green cabbage
1 recipe for stuffing (see below)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf, crushed
2 cups beef boullion
Cabbage Stuffing:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground lamb
1 egg
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon mint
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup raw white rice
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
Core cabbage and separate leaves. Parboil leaves in salted
water for 5 minutes. Combine all stuffing ingredients and
mix well. Place stuffing in individual cabbage leaves. Fold
two opposite sides of each leaf inward and roll, starting
at the short end. Place rolls in layers in large pot.
Sprinkle each layer with olive oil, tomato sauce, and bay
leaf. Add bouillon to the pot, adding enough water to cover
the rolls. Cover and simmer over low heat for one hour.
Serves 6 to 8.
Per serving: 382 cal., 12 g pro., 11 g carbo., 32
g fat, 23 mg sodium. U.S. RDA: 38% vit. C.
Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe
Quarter and shred firm heads and put a 4 inch layer
of cabbage in a sterilized wood or crockery container. Add
a layer of pickling salt (which has no chemical additives
to affect taste or color) and pound the two together with a
wooden mallet or clean baseball bat (avoid metal utensils).
This releases the cabbage juices and the natural bacteria
and initiates the fermentation process.
Keep adding layers of cabbage and salt and tamp each
thoroughly. A five-gallon crock will hold 40 pounds of
cabbage and will require 1 pound of salt. Fill the
container to within 3 inches or 4 inches of the top, and place a
plate — weighted down with a rock — on the kraut to
make sure it is completely covered with brine. Otherwise,
it will rot. Cover the crock with a clean cloth.
Sauerkraut can be cured in either a warm or cool
environment. The first, a fast process, tends to produce a
“sweet” kraut, and the second, which slows fermentation,
makes a “tart” product. It’s important to check the
container every other day during the preservation process,
washing the plate and the rock and skimming off any mold or
scum that forms. When the mixture quits bubbling, it’s
ready to eat, can, or store in a cool place for winter
enjoyment.
