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Food
Cabbage pitch
If you walk into a kitchen where cabbage has just been boiled, the scent of the vegetable's sulfur compounds is likely to make you take to your heels and forget about dinner. It can be that unappealing in the pan. It's the cooking method that makes the cabbage give off those rank odors. If, rather than boiling cabbage, you cook it slowly in oil or butter, the vegetable emits a rather sweet smell. Boiled cabbage was common in early American cooking. In winter, there were few other vegetables in the root cellar, so cabbage and potatoes, simmered together in a little smoky pork water, became family fare. It wasn't just the British, the Irish (famous for their bacon and cabbage), and the Americans who existed on these dishes. Wherever the winter was too harsh to grow vegetables - essentially, in northern climates across Western and Eastern Europe and in Asia - cabbage, cooked or raw, became a staple. Uncooked, cabbage has a little heat and some bite, which is one reason why slaws often contain sugar. Braising the vegetable causes the cabbage to lose its bold taste. Long, slow cooking with tart apples and balsamic vinegar makes red cabbage quite mild, nice as a bed beneath roasted cod. In the hands of Richard Barron of Il Capriccio restaurant in Waltham, hard green cabbage, braised for an hour, then tossed with French lentils, is sweet and almost soothing. IRISH BACON AND CABBAGE The word "bacon" in the Irish kitchen refers to any piece of pork that isn't the leg (ham). This version is made like a stew, with smoked shoulder and fresh pork chops. It is chilled to remove all the fat, then simmered with cabbage and potatoes. 5 tablespoons butter In a large flameproof casserole, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and brown the smoked pork and pork chops on both sides. Add the onions to the edges of the pan and let them brown for a few minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, add the bay leaf, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover the pan. Cook the meat over very low heat, turning it often, for 30 minutes. Remove the meat and onions from the pan and transfer them to a plastic container. Tip the cooking liquid into a bowl. Cover both and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove and discard all the fat and bones from the smoked pork. Cut the meat along its natural lines. Remove excess fat from the pork chops, leaving the chops intact. Discard the fat from the cooking liquid. In the flameproof casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the cabbage and potatoes to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover the pan, and cook the vegetables for 25 to 30 minutes, turning them gently but often, until they are cooked through. Add cooking liquid if the pan seems dry. Arrange the smoked meat and pork chops in the pan. Add the liquid and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper if you like, and transfer to a large, warm platter. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. SERVES 4 IL CAPRICCIO'S CABBAGE WITH LENTILS Richard Barron, chef and co-owner of Waltham's Il Capriccio restaurant, serves this earthy combination of cabbage and French lentils as a bed for luxurious seared scallops and lobster meat. 1/2 cup Le Puy French lentils Soak the lentils in cold water for 4 hours. Drain and rinse them. In a large saucepan, combine the lentils with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer the lentils for 30 minutes or until they are tender but not mushy. Drain them and set them aside. In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the cabbage, carrot, salt, and black pepper. Stir thoroughly, cover the pan, and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add the stock and remove the pan lid. Continue cooking for 30 minutes more or until the cabbage is very tender. Add more stock or water to the pan if the vegetables start to stick. Sprinkle the cabbage with vinegar and stir in the cayenne pepper. Taste the cabbage for seasoning. To serve: In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the lentils and the cabbage and cook, stirring, just to warm them through. Serve at once as a bed for roasted fish or shellfish. SERVES 4 COD ROASTED ON A BED OF APPLES AND BRAISED RED CABBAGE 1 tablespoon olive oil In a large flameproof casserole, heat the oil. Cook the onion over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add the cabbage, apple, stock, vinegar, sugar, allspice, salt, and pepper. When the liquids are bubbling at the edges, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and cook the cabbage for 30 to 40 minutes or until it is tender. Set the oven at 450 degrees. Place the cabbage in a baking dish large enough to hold the fish in one layer. Top the cabbage with the fish, leaving room around each piece. Sprinkle the fish with oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bake the fish for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is cooked through. Serve at once with steamed potatoes. SERVES 4 GREEN AND RED CABBAGE SALAD WITH SUMAC Panos Karageuzian, a retired auto mechanic and a fine Armenian home cook, made this cabbage salad, seasoned with the slightly bitter spice sumac and lots of mint, for an annual winter party in his Watertown garage. He thought it up, though both sumac and mint are common ingredients in Armenian cooking. 1 small green cabbage, quartered and thinly sliced In a bowl, combine the green and red cabbage, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, mint, sumac, cumin, salt, and olive oil. Toss thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and add more mint and salt if you like. Serve at once or transfer to a plastic container and refrigerate for as long as 2 days. SERVES 8 |
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