Cabbage

by Cynthia Graber

My lips, tongue, and teeth have turned a bluish purple, the kind usually reserved for overindulging on Smurf-themed cupcakes. My discoloring comes from a different source, though I'm not sure if it's the cabbage, the molasses, the reduced balsamic vinegar, or some strange compounds created by the simmering of all three with deeply hued spices. Whatever the cause, I'm going to have to wash and brush thoroughly before going out to a bar tonight, or I might scare the waiter.

I had a cabbage sitting in the fridge for far too long - so long that I can't even admit to myself just how much time had passed. No particularly appealing treatments had jumped to mind. So it just sat there. Luckily, it didn't go bad, and luckily, I was flipping through my friend's copy of Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone last weekend in New York. There was a recipe for sweet and sour cabbage. It sounded good, and I picked up the whole spices required in bulk at Harvest. (After all, who needs an entire jar of whole cloves?) Also, I recently bought a simple crank spice grinder at Kitchen Arts. 

Other than that, there wasn't much to the recipe. Molasses, balsamic, an onion, canned tomatoes. My only advice is this: make sure at the very end that you let it cook at high heat long enough, maybe about five minutes, for the watery liquid to evaporate and leave a glaze.

If you had asked me a couple of hours ago, I'd have told you that I like the dish, but I don't love it. Somehow, though I can't stop eating it! It would go great with fish and rice, or tofu. Or, apparently, all by itself. Just look at your tongue carefully in the mirror afterwards.

Sweet and sour cabbage, from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

• Red cabbage, abou 1.5 lbs, quartered, cored, and sliced into strips about .5 inches wide
• One onion, diced
• 1.5 Tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp allspice berries
• 4 cloves
• 1.5 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar or molasses (I used molasses)
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes, either fresh or canned
• 1/2 cup liquid from the tomatoes/can or plain water
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

(Use a wide pan for this one.) Heat up the oil, add the bay leaves. Grind the spices in a mill, add to the oil. Cook until the onion is translucent, then add the sugar or molasses and cook for another minute or so. 

Place the cabbage in a layer over the onion, then sprinkle on 1 tsp of salt, and the tomatoes over top. Pour the 1/2 cup of tomato liquid or water over top. Cover the dish and cook until the cabbage has softened, about 15 minutes.

Uncover, and mix it all together. Then add the balsamic vinegar, and raise the heat to high. Cook it until the watery liquid evaporates and turns into a glaze. 

Photo courtesy of Dru! on Flickr Creative Commons

Comments

[Genevieve Rajewski]

What a great intro paragraph!

(I hope you show up with this look on Sunday.)

As a good Polish girl, I've been hoping to eat more cabbage this winter. Thanks for the interesting recipe.

[Cynthia Graber]

Thanks! I, too, think I'm going to be eating more cabbage. I have to try to find more recipes that I like. I attempted kimchi - it turned out okay, but I think I need to give it another go.