Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Of Cabbages And Kings.


Maharajah John...


and his shy Maharani would like to give you a cabbage recipe today, one that doesn't make us want to yawn and start setting up picnic tables (that would be cole slaw...). Cabbage is a little bit of a threat to creativity, as it seems to represent two uninspiring cooking options: one already noted and the other being Sauerkraut.

Don't get me wrong, both coleslaw and Sauerkraut are tasty accoutrements. Yet, in my humble opinion, they are a little bit too fail safe in capturing one's imagination. And since I've received via Athens Locally Grown a cabbage the size of a bowling ball, perhaps it can't hurt to try for some artistic mileage.

I know. It's cabbage. The word alone sounds particular, crabby and disenchanting. It resembles something you would kick around out of boredom. Yet I would argue that anyone who is glum at the thought of working with cabbage doesn't realize what a relenting and agreeable vegetable they're using. It not only has remarkable health value, but also partners up well with any sort of spice, meat, or cooking method one could imagine. For example, cabbage can be sauteed into an Asian stir-fry, grilled alongside a burger or submerged into a hearty soup.

In trying to figure out to do with this great ball of boredom, John and I each manned cookbooks and scurried through their respective "C" indices. What struck our fancy was the cabbage rolls, yet we were ill supplied to make them. However, they are impressive looking, and I would bet the farm (were it mine), that they are delicious, maybe even fit for a king (that is, you).

Recipe HERE.


Also, are you enjoying Ratatouille...? Or perhaps chocolate cake?

Let me know!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like your blog! Keep it up.

ccreatif said...

Hello Annie,
I love cabbage rolls. My mother use to make them and the house would be filled with love, the aroma of the cooking cabbage rolls are so comforting. And it is so delicious. My mother would serve it with mash potatoes and poor some tomato sauce over the rolls and potatoes. Mmm, mmm! Which reminds me, I have a cabbage in my fridge. I guess I'll be making rolls too! Thank you for reminding me of comforting food!

A.Kelley said...

Chantal, you are very welcome. I haven't gotten around to making them yet but to me they look delicious. When I was looking for a good recipe I read that they were a "comfort food" for people and so I think it's interesting that it is one of your comfort foods. That makes me glad, because...well, what could be better than a comfort food!

anna j said...

It was so funny to see this post, as Mom just had me get cabbage at the farm [visual aids available on my blog ;-)], as I picked some produce up on the way home from work . . .we were deciding that we loved cabbage but didn't make anything more exciting than basic sauteeing: methinks that the rest should go into cabbage rolls ;-)

Patty said...

I am the kind of cook who never makes fussy things like cabbage rolls or stuffed anything. Or most things that require you to dredge it in several different coatings.

Cabbage, to me, is at its best in soup. I love potage bonne femme, whic is leeks and cabbage and cream, basically...also linguica or kielbasa with cabbage and a little tomato...

Stir fry is excellent too. A very simple, "comfort food" style recipe is sauteed (or stir-fried) cabbage and carrots, with a little soy and maybe some sesame seeds--oh yes, onions too.

Eric said...

The simplest thing you can do with cabbage is also one of the best. Saute shredded cabbage in olive oil with coarse salt until just al dente. That's it.

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