Roasted Cabbage

Roasted Cabbage

1 cabbage (green, red savoy or napa will work)

1/3-1/2 cup olive or sesame oil

salt (corse kosher works best)

pepper

Pre heat oven to 425. Drizzle 1/2 the oil on a cookie sheet. Halve and then core the cabbage. Take each half and carefully slice it into 1/4″-1/2″ rounds being careful to keep the layers together. After each slice, transfer the layers intact to the oiled cookie sheet. Continue until the sheet is full. Fill all the spaces so the whole sheet is covered. Drizzle the remainder of the oil evenly on cabbage slices and finish with ample salt and pepper. Place the whole pan in the oven and set the timer to 10 minutes. Check for the beginning of browning at the edges and where the cabbage meets the pan. If you don’t see some browning keep cooking in one minute increments until you see browning. Napa will cook faster. You may want to brown the cabbage more (my kids fight over the crispy pieces).  Once you see browning take the sheet out of the oven and with a spatula carefully flip the slices, again trying to keep them together. This is hard as they are limp now. Return them to the oven for another 5-10 minutes (how crispy or not is up to you). This dish is great hot but we also keep some around in a container and add it to soups, salads or just as a quick cold or room temp side dish.

Asian-Flavored Coleslaw with Rice Vinegar and Ginger

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

4 cups thinly sliced Napa or Red cabbage (from about 1/2 large head)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Stir sesame seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat until light golden, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Combine cabbage and green onions in large bowl. Add vinegar, peanut oil, ginger, sesame oil, and sugar and toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Toss before continuing.) Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Sweet Mustard Sauce

2 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce

2 cups rice syrup or 1 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup brown prepared mustard

Heat water and tamari in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add syrup and return to boil. Turn off heat and whisk in mustard. Drizzle over stir fry or use as a dipping sauce.

Kimchi

Cut one head of Napa (chinese) cabbage  crossways so that you have 1-2 inch pieces. Soak in 1 gallon of water in which you have dissolved one cup of salt (kosher). Let soak up to 8 hours, then drain and lightly rinse and drain again. Shake off any excess moisture and pile into a bowl. In a smaller bowl mix 1 tbsp sugar, 1-2 tsp kosher salt 1-2 tbsp cayenne or other hot pepper powder, 1- 4 tsp of red pepper flakes or comparable amount of chopped fresh peppers, 4-8 cloves of garlic sliced or minced, one large onion cut in half and thinly sliced. Mix all together then pack cabbage mixture into screw top jars that you have sterilized (don’t need canning jars; the Koreans don’t have them!), leaving about 1/2 of head room. I let them sit for 6-8 hours and then refrigerate. Start tasting after 4-5 days . Usually by the 2nd or 3rd head, you have perfected the mix that works best for you. Keeps a long time in the fridge; bubbles indicate fermentation, which you want.

Warm Red Cabbage

1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion quartered and sliced thin
1 small red cabbage quartered and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
A few ounces goat or feta cheese
1 red apple
1 Tablespoon marjoram
1 Tablespoon Parsley
¼ cup pecans or walnuts
¼ olives (optional)

Heat oil in a wide skillet and add garlic, vinegar and onion. Sauté for 1 minute. Add cabbage along with a generous pinch of salt and toss over high heat. When the leaves soften and lighten in color remove from the heat and toss with the remaining ingredients. Season with fresh pepper and serve warm.

Chinese (Napa) Cabbage Stir Fry

This recipe will turn anyone onto napa…

1 head of Chinese cabbage, halved and then sliced thinly to create a shredded end result
2 tablespoons peanut or light cooking oil
one medium onion
quarter cup of white wine
1 table spoon soy sauce
2 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
Salt and fresh pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large stockpot or wok until almost smoking. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add white wine and cover for 1 minute. Remove the cover and keep turning until the liquid is cooked off. Add apple slices and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the onion and apple from the pan and set aside. Add second tablespoon of oil and heat pan again until almost smoking. Add Chinese cabbage and toss in the oil to coat for 1 minute. Add soy sauce and toss further until coated.
Add onion/ apple mixture and serve.

Braised Savoy Cabbage and Apples

One savoy head, quartered, cored and sliced thinly and soaked in water
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons finely chopped onions
1 large green apple, peeled cored and sliced into matchsticks
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds.

Heat oil in a large stainless steel/non-reactive skillet. Add onions and cook until golden. Add cabbage directly from water to pan with the onions along with the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook of very medium-low heat until the cabbage is very soft, about and hour and a half, adding boiling water if needed during the process.

The L.A. Pantry’s Famous Coleslaw

3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp celery salt
dash black pepper
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup half and half
1 large or 2 small heads cabbage, shredded fine

Blend together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and oil in bowl. Add onion and garlic powders, dry mustard, celery salt, pepper, lemon juice, half and half and the salt. Stir until smooth. Pour over shredded cabbage in large bowl and toss until cabbage is well coated. Adjust flavors with salt and pepper.

Chinese Cabbage Salad

4 cups thinly chopped Chinese cabbage
¾ cups diced radish
1 ¼ cup noodles (Asian, old pasta, crispy chow mein, whatever)
1 cup crushed peanuts
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (the black ones look cool if you can get them)
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
4 Tablespoons sesame oil
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dry mustard (*not essential)

Combine cabbage, radishes, noodles, peanuts, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and toss with the vegetables a little at a time. Add only enough of the wet mixture to suit your taste.

Steamed Cabbage with Poppy Seeds

Half to three quarters of a cabbage head, quarter the head, remove the core and chop coarsely into half inch lengths
2 to 4 Tablespoons melted butter or toasted sesame oil
3 to 4 Tablespoons poppy or sesame seeds
salt and fresh pepper

Steam the cabbage until tender but not mushy, 5-10 minutes. Remove the cabbage to a bowl and blot quickly with a clean towel. Add in the butter, seeds, salt, and pepper and toss to coat.