Newspaper Column » Quick-cooked cabbage won't foul the senses

Quick-cooked cabbage won't foul the senses

by Linda Hoffman

This column appeared in The Coloradoan on February 25, 2009.

A versatile and delicious winter vegetable is the lowly cabbage, the smelly vegetable we remember from childhood, usually boiled into limp, unappetizing submission.

Sulfur compounds found in the brassica family are the source of the unpleasant aroma, but also one source of cabbage’s many health benefits. Sulfur protects us against infection and pollution. It slows down the aging process, helps form healthy cell membranes and is a major component of connective tissue found in cartilage and skin. Cabbage supplies Vitamin K, important for bone formation and blood clotting.

Our local Grant Farms team brought organic cabbages from last fall, still crisp and pale green, to the February farmers market at the Opera Galleria. I’ve been using this potent source of Vitamin C, fiber, and anti-cancer indoles in a variety of ways.

Grated raw, cabbage can be made into crunchy slaws that complement any meal and is especially tasty with sandwiches. Skip the chips and add the crunch of raw vegetables dressed with a well-balanced vinaigrette. Eating cabbage raw preserves all the Vitamin C, but some of the compounds found in raw cruciferous veggies block the absorption of iodine according to “Nourishing Traditions’’ by Sally Fallon.

The secret to enjoying cooked cabbage is not to overcook it. Slice it thinly and cook it quickly to just crisp-tender in 1 tablespoon butter with a pinch of sea salt, lots of pepper and minced garlic. Ready in 5 minutes, it’s an easy last-minute side dish for weeknight meals. Quick cooking sweetens the cabbage and helps preserve the Vitamin C.

Add thin slices of cabbage to a stir-fry of broccoli, cauliflower, sliced carrots and onion flavored with minced garlic and fresh ginger and a splash of low-sodium tamari. We tend to think of stir-fry as an entrée, spooned over rice, which certainly is a possibility with endless variation and a quick dinner solution. But stir-fry vegetables are an easy way to add color to a plate of meatloaf or broiled fish.

Use a dab of coconut oil, adding 1 teaspoon of brown mustard seed and 1/4 teaspoon turmeric when hot. Cook until the mustard seeds begin to pop, then add the thinly sliced vegetables. Or try this recipe for Colcannon, an Irish mainstay of cabbage and potatoes.

Irish Colcannon

Ingredients

4-5 russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced (if organic, leave the skins on for fiber)
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 cups of chopped cabbage or kale
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook the potatoes in cold water to cover, bringing to a boil over med-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a bay leaf and cook until tender. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a heavy saucepan and cook the onion, garlic and cabbage or kale until tender. Add the hot potatoes with thyme, cream and heat through. Taste, correcting the seasonings if necessary and serve garnished with chopped parsley and sliced green onions.

Bon appétit!