What's in Season: Cabbage

Buying: Look for cabbages that have tight heads - even if the outer leaves are a bit floppy, they can be discarded. Leaves should not be discolored, damaged or dried out. If buying from a store, avoid those that look like they have been overly tidied up. 


Storing: Cabbage should be kept cold to retain it’s Vitamin C amount. Savoy cabbage will keep for about a week in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. A cut, unused part of the cabbage should be wrapped tightly in plastic and placed in the fridge. It should be used quickly as cut cabage will continue to lose its beneficial vitamins.


Fact: The world record for the largest cabbage is ranked at 124 lbs from Wales.


Medical: Cabbage retains the most nutrition when eaten raw. It is said to reduce colonic cancer risk, perk up the immune system, and eradicate bacteria. Cabbage juice is apparently good for preventing and curing ulcers.


Cooking: Remove any tough, fiberous outer leaves. Quarter the cabbage, remove the core, and then cut into the desired size slice, either shredded in a food processor or cut with a stainless steel knife (certain phytonutrients react with carbon, so stainless steel will prevent the leaves from turning black). Only cut and wash cabbage right before using it. After cutting the cabbage, it is possible to soak the leaves in cold water to not only keep it crisp, but to draw out some of those sulfurous chemicals that put many people off cabbage.


Cabbage can be steamed or blanched for 6-8 minutes. After washing, shredding and blanching for 1 minute, cabbage can be frozen in plastic bags. Cabbage can be stir-fried, baked, braised, the thick, waxy leaves of cabbage are great for acting as carb-free sandwich wraps, salad cupping, or for stuffing. Add thin cuts of cabbage to soups to sweeten and thicken the broth.


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Cabbage-Not-Iceberg Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing, Oven-Roasted Tomatoes and Torn Croutons

I was looking through my Ad Hoc at Home cookbook and saw a recipe for the classic Iceberg Lettuce Salad. The quartered lettuce in the picture reminded me of quartered cabbage and decided to make it using cabbage instead. A lot of people from the CSA program choose to swap out their cabbage - either out of distaste, fed up with making coleslaw or just don't know what to do with it so I thought everyone loves Iceberg Salad, there's some reason why it's always on menu's so why not include cabbage as an interesting twist. And what a HIT!


Ok, it looks like a lot of work. And it was. Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home look like easy recipes, but for every ingredient, it's another recipe on another page. I've tried to lay it out below in an easy order.  I love the reward and the therapy of an all-day cook-fest. The remaining aioli can be used for sandwich spreads (I was a little too thrilled with myself at the success of homemade aioli), the garlic confit and oil can be used in other recipes. The blue cheese dressing can be used in salads or for dipping veggies throughout the week.  It might not be the healthiest, but it's a good way to incorporate cabbage into an interesting twist - cabbage is very low in calories - and I left out the bacon. 


Garlic Confit and Oil
2 bulbs garlic, peeled - about one cup
about 2 cups canola oil


cut off the root ends of the garlic cloves. Put in a small sauce pan and add enough oil to cover them by about 1 inch - none should be poking through. POKE. Put the saucepan over med-low heat and cook gently - little bubbles should come up but they shouldn't break the surface - remove from the heat if this happens/adjust heat. Cook for about 40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so until the cloves are completely tender when pierced with a knife tip. Remove from the heat and allow garlic to cool in the oil. Can be refrigerated in a covered container for 1 week. 


Oven Roasted Tomatoes

8 cherry tomatoes, halved (I used a mix of purple cherry and yellow blush tomatoes)

extra virgin olive oil or garlic oil from above

thyme

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Put the tomato halves on a baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining ingredients. Roast for about 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and look like they are about to burst. Remove and let come to room temperature. 

Aioli
4 large egg yolks
2 cups Garlic Oil (above)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon kosher salt


To easily remove the yolks from the whites, crack in half and slowly dip the yolks into a bowl. You can gently put the yolk into your hand and the whites will run through your fingers. Put the egg yolks in a food processor and process to combine. With the motor running, VERY slowly add the oil through the whole in the center, blending until it is emulsified and thick. Add the lemon juice and salt. Stop the motor as soon as the last drop of oil is added - overworking it will cause it to break. Can be refrigerated covered for up to 1 week. 

*Substitute regular canola oil to make plain mayonnaise*

Blue Cheese Dressing
1 cup Aioli (above)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup creme fraiche 
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon dill
salt
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese (suggested: Pt. Reyes)
(recipe also calls for 1 teaspoon of both minced chives and mint which I did not have so I added dill which worked great)


Put the aioli in a large bowl then whisk in the buttermilk and remaining ingredients. Additional buttermilk can be used to make it less thick, if desired. Can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 1 week. 
*Buttermilk can be made by putting 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a 1-cup measuring cup and filling the rest with milk, stir, then let sit for 2 minutes. 

Grilled Cabbage Wedges 

1 cabbage, quartered

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F (should be set, from the tomatoes) or light up the grill - which we did. Rub the cut sides of the cabbage with the oil. Put the cabbage quarters on to a large sheet of tin foil, cut side down and drizzle with a little oil and season. Wrap and cover with the foil tightly to seal it.  Bake or grill for about 20 minutes, until the cabbage is tender. Open the foil to let cool. 

Meanwhile...

Torn Croutons

Tear day-old sourdough bread into bite-size pieces. Pour enough Garlic Oil into the bottom of a large pan to cover the bottom. Heat until hot and then add the bread in a single layer. Reduce the heat. Stir the bread in the oil so that it is coated. If you hear sizzling, the heat is too high and the croutons will become too dry - the key is to slow cook them for about 20 minutes so that the croutons absorb the garlicky oil and become crsip and golden brown on all sides. Set aside. 

Arrange the cabbage onto 4 plates or onto a serving dish. Tuck the tomatoes in and around the lettuce (4 haves per person). Sprinkle with the croutons. Spoon some of the dressing over the salad and serve the remaining dressing on the side. 

PHEW!