Showing posts sorted by relevance for query cabbage. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query cabbage. Sort by date Show all posts
I had a real craving for pasta today and so I decided to cook myself up a mess of noodles and cabbage.
This was a dish I used to cook often for my family when they were growing up. Sometimes we had it as a side dish along with pork chops . . . and sometimes it was the whole dish, served with sour cream and lotsa cheese.
It was a real favourite of everyone. I always made a double batch because the leftovers were always fabulous the day after heated up in a little bit of butter in a hot skillet. The noodles got some brown scrummy bits and it was just wonderful. We liked fried leftover spag bol too.
Todd is not a fan of pasta anything, (as you know only too well), so it's something that I only rarely indulge in these days. I love this recipe because I always, always have what I need to make it in the cupboard. It's quick and it's easy.
You don't have to use white cabbage all the time. Today I had a small head of dark Green Savoy Cabbage and so I used that. I just cooked the cabbage for a shorter time than the white cabbage, and as you can clearly see it gave a nice bright green colour to the dish. Very pretty.
I also added a bit of zip with a light drizzle of cooks&Co Olive Oil with Chillies which I was sent to try out the other day. (Remember the grapeseed oil that I used the other day to make that Treacle Gingerbread Loaf that was so nice?? Same company!)It added a wonderful kick to the dish. Hot chillies are added to this olive oil to help to create a classic condiment for pizza's, pasta dishes, dressings sauces and grilled meats. I really thought it added a lovely depth of flavour. This is great olive oil . . . and a little drizzle goes a long way!
In any case, Todd sat there enjoying his ham sandwich and I sat there enjoying my bowl of Noodles and Cabbage. Everybody was content and happy. ☺ Just as it should be.
*Noodles and Cabbage*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
This is a lovely dish that goes well with most meats, and I have even been known to eat a big plate of it all on it's own. My family always used to love it when I made this. I most often use flat egg noodles such as Fettuccini, but Tagliatele and Farfelle works really well also. I don't think that it is suited to the rounder types of pasta. You can top it with sour cream if you like, but we have always loved to have ours with a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.
2 cups egg noodles, or other pasta
(Uncooked)
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, peled and thinly sliced
1 small head of white cabbage, quartered, core trimmed away, and thinly sliced
2 tsp brown sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sour Cream or freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for serving (optional)
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions. When done, drain well, rinse in warm water and then keep warm until they are needed. (Tossing them with just a touch of vegetable oil helps to keep them from sticking together.)
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter and once it is foaming add the onion. Cook, stirring until the onion begins to soften. Add the cabbage and sprinkle it all with the brown sugar. Cook, stirring and tossing until the cabbage begins to wilt and brown in a few placed, and the onion and cabbage are well mixed together.
Turn the heat to low, pop a lid on top, and cook for five to ten minutes, giving it a stir every few minutes, until the cabbage and onion are nicely softened and beginning to caramelize a bit. Remove the lid and toss in the noodles, mixing all together well. Heat through and season to taste with some salt and black pepper. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream on top of a light dusting of Parmesan Cheese. Delicious!!
Cooking in The Cottage today, Cheater's Apple and Cherry Crumble.
I was asked the other day how to cook cabbage. Cabbage is one of those vegetables that we just love in this house, but it is a very easily maligned vegetable, mostly because a lot of people cook it rather horribly. There is nothing more appealing than a plate of ather insipid and stinky overcooked boiled cabbage. Blah. Blah. Blah. Fresh cabbage, lightly cooked, is full of goodness, packed with vitamins, minerals and flavour and it’s not expensive or boring in the least.
Cabbage should always be eaten as fresh as possible – it loses nutrients if stored for too long. An unwrapped fresh cabbage should look bright and crisp, with its outer leaves intact (often if it’s had its outer leaves removed, it was because they were limp, which is not a good sign). The centre should feel firm and the leaves should squeak as you pull them apart. You will want to get rid of any discoloured or wimply outer leaves and then cut the cabbage into quarters. Remove and discard the core and then cut the cabbage crosswise into thin strips, about 1/3 inch in width, with a sharp knife. The secret to cooking cabbage is to cook it briefly in rapidly boiling water. I like to pack it down quite tightly into a saucepan, sprinkle with some fine sea salt. I then place the pan over a high heat, adding boiling water from the kettle. This comes back to the boil almost instantly. I then time it for 3 to 5 minutes. It is done when you can bite a piece and is just yields, much like cooking pasta. Drain it immediately in a large colander, tossing and pressing it lightly to extract as much water as possible from it. I use a bread and butter plate for this. I cut down into the cabbage with the edge of the plate which chops it lightly. You can then dress it with a bit of butter, some salt and pepper and serve it while it is nice and hot. Delicious!
I think the old school method of cooking most vegetables was to cook them pretty much to death for some reason. I have some very old cookbooks which recommend cooking carrots for 45 minutes, for instance. Absolutely all of the nutritional value would pretty much be boiled out by that time I would think! I wouldn't want to eat a carrot which had been boiled for that long. Neither would I want them rock hard. It is the same with most vegetables. There is a very fine line between them being overdone or underdone, but with a bit of practice anyone can get it right. You can find an excellent chart with cooking times here.
I just adore all the fresh local produce that we find in the shops at this time of year . . . lovely cabbages, red, white and savoy . . . beautiful carrots, and onions . . . potatoes, beetroot, parsnips, beans, cauliflower, leeks, etc. There is no end to it all . . . that makes me a very happy camper. I love to eat seasonally and everything tastes so very delicious when it's fresh and local.
I love to showcase these fabulous fresh ingredients in any way that I can and incorporate them into our meals on a regular basis. I have to confess that you cannot get a much nicer bake . . . than a vegetable gratin . . .
This one that I am sharing with you today is especially nice . . . using not only potatoes and onions . . . but cabbage and bacon as well . . . and not one . . . but TWO lovely cheeses.
First a nice freshly grated chunk of wonderful Parmesan cheese. True Parmigiano-Reggiano has a beautiful complex flavor that goes very nicely in dishes like this. It brings to the table a slightly nutty/fruity flavor along with a strong savory undertone . . . a wonderful addition.
Then there is an abundant amount of taleggio cheese, which is a washed rind and smear ripened Italian cheese with a strong aroma, but fruity mild taste. It's beautiful melting qualities are perfectly showcased in this lovely dish.
Let's not forget the back bacon . . . which lends a light smokey flavor, which is quite delightful when enjoyed along side of the cheeses and those tender vegetables.
Mind you . . . there's not much that can't be beautifully enhanced with the addition of bacon and cheese don't you think??? Nom Nom! A simple supper with complex and robust flavors. I like that very much.
*Cheesy Bacon, Potato & Cabbage Gratin*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe
Wholesome, hearty and delicious autumn fare. A novel way of using autumn produce that will please the whole family.
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
185g back bacon, diced (6.5 ounces)
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
675g of savoy cabbage, trimmed, quartered and cut into a chunky dice (1 1/2 pounds)
55g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
butter for buttering the pan
225g of taleggio cheese, diced (8 ounces)
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the potato and bring back to the boil. Cover and cook for exactly 5 minutes, or until just barely tender. Drain well and then place in a large bowl.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the bacon and fry until the bacon begins to color. Lower the heat and add the onions, garlic, thyme and chili flakes. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened.
Wash the cabbage pieces. Tip a third of it into the pan while it is still wet. Cook, stirring and adding more cabbage as it wilts in the pan, until you have added all of the cabbage and adding a bit of water as necessary to help keep the cabbage from sticking to the pan. Once the cabbage is completely wilted, remove the pan from the heat and dump this mixture into the bowl with the potatoes. Toss gently together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Tip in half of the Parmesan cheese.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a 9 inch square glass baking dish, at least 2 inches deep.
Layer half of the cabbage and potato mixture into the pan. Dot with half of the taleggio cheese. Cover with the remaining cabbage and potato mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and dot with the remaining taleggio.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are piping hot and the cheese is bubbling and flecked golden brown.
A little pickle on the side and some buttered bread and we were in heaven . . .
I just adore all the fresh local produce that we find in the shops at this time of year . . . lovely cabbages, red, white and savoy . . . beautiful carrots, and onions . . . potatoes, beetroot, parsnips, beans, cauliflower, leeks, etc. There is no end to it all . . . that makes me a very happy camper. I love to eat seasonally and everything tastes so very delicious when it's fresh and local.
I love to showcase these fabulous fresh ingredients in any way that I can and incorporate them into our meals on a regular basis. I have to confess that you cannot get a much nicer bake . . . than a vegetable gratin . . .
This one that I am sharing with you today is especially nice . . . using not only potatoes and onions . . . but cabbage and bacon as well . . . and not one . . . but TWO lovely cheeses.
First a nice freshly grated chunk of wonderful Parmesan cheese. True Parmigiano-Reggiano has a beautiful complex flavor that goes very nicely in dishes like this. It brings to the table a slightly nutty/fruity flavor along with a strong savory undertone . . . a wonderful addition.
Then there is an abundant amount of taleggio cheese, which is a washed rind and smear ripened Italian cheese with a strong aroma, but fruity mild taste. It's beautiful melting qualities are perfectly showcased in this lovely dish.
Let's not forget the back bacon . . . which lends a light smokey flavor, which is quite delightful when enjoyed along side of the cheeses and those tender vegetables.
Mind you . . . there's not much that can't be beautifully enhanced with the addition of bacon and cheese don't you think??? Nom Nom! A simple supper with complex and robust flavors. I like that very much.
*Cheesy Bacon, Potato & Cabbage Gratin*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe
Wholesome, hearty and delicious autumn fare. A novel way of using autumn produce that will please the whole family.
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
185g back bacon, diced (6.5 ounces)
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
675g of savoy cabbage, trimmed, quartered and cut into a chunky dice (1 1/2 pounds)
55g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
butter for buttering the pan
225g of taleggio cheese, diced (8 ounces)
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the potato and bring back to the boil. Cover and cook for exactly 5 minutes, or until just barely tender. Drain well and then place in a large bowl.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the bacon and fry until the bacon begins to color. Lower the heat and add the onions, garlic, thyme and chili flakes. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened.
Wash the cabbage pieces. Tip a third of it into the pan while it is still wet. Cook, stirring and adding more cabbage as it wilts in the pan, until you have added all of the cabbage and adding a bit of water as necessary to help keep the cabbage from sticking to the pan. Once the cabbage is completely wilted, remove the pan from the heat and dump this mixture into the bowl with the potatoes. Toss gently together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Tip in half of the Parmesan cheese.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a 9 inch square glass baking dish, at least 2 inches deep.
Layer half of the cabbage and potato mixture into the pan. Dot with half of the taleggio cheese. Cover with the remaining cabbage and potato mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and dot with the remaining taleggio.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are piping hot and the cheese is bubbling and flecked golden brown.
A little pickle on the side and some buttered bread and we were in heaven . . .
One thing I love most about Winter is that we get to enjoy lovely homemade soups with abandon. There is no time like the present to be enjoying these beautiful forms of sustenance!
Everything I know about making soup, I learned from my mother. She made beautiful soups. As a family we loved her soups and one of the first things we always looked forward after we grew up and went home for a visit, was a hot bowl of one of her homemade soups.
Mum never skimmed the fat from her soups. She always told us those little beads of fat floating on top were the vitamins. I do skim the fat, but I always smile while I am doing it, thinking of all the vitamins . . . .
One of my favourite memories is from when I was living on my own after my divorce. I had a rented room in someone else's house. It was January and I had come down with the "man" flu . . . horrible, soul wrenching, energy draining flu.
I was in bed for several days, not caring if I was dead or alive. There came a knock on the door one day and there stood my mother with a lovely container of her homemade chicken soup. Nectar of the Gods. And filled with vitamins, no doubt! 😉 But when you're sick . . . who cares.
A good homemade soup is one of the most beautiful examples of love you can share with someone you care about . . .it is indeed soup for the soul.
This version I am showing you today starts with a delicious homemade stock which is made from the carcass of a roasted chicken. I always freeze my roast chicken carcasses specifically for the purpose of making soups.
You don't always feel like making the soup right away, so freezing them makes good sense. I just pop them into an empty bread bag, tie it shut and pop it into the freezer.
I also cut up my own chickens to use in dishes and save the backs and necks, also for the purpose of making flavourful stocks. All get frozen for future use.
Breasts in one container, legs in another, wings in another, and backs & necks. Its a cheaper way of having chicken portions to hand, and just makes economic sense to me.
For this delicious soup I combined my own homemade stock, pearl barley, grated parsnips, and cabbage with perfectly delicious results. You can use ready made stock as well if you want.
You will still end up with a fabulously tasty soup. Perfect for these cold winter days and for whatever ails you.
*Roast Chicken Soup with Barley, Parsnips and Cabbage*
Serves 4
a generous sprig of thyme
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
140g pearl barley (3/4 cup)
Put the chicken stock into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add
the spring of thyme, parsley and pearl barley and reduce to a simmer.
Cover and cook for about forty five minutes. Add the vegetables,bring
to the boil again and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for a further 15 to
20 minutes, until all of the vegetables and the barley are very soft.
Add the chicken and heat through. Season to taste with salt and black
pepper, squeeze the lemon juice over top and serve.
You can make your own chicken broth quite easily with the carcass of your leftover roast chicken. Homemade is always better than ready made in my opinion.
*Roast Chicken Broth*
Makes 3 to 4 litres (2 to 3 quarts)
1 tsp sea salt
a handful of fresh parsley sprigs, and other soft herbs such at thyme, oregano, savoury, sage or marjoram
Any leftovers can also be frozen, ready to haul out at the first sign of a sniffle. Almost as good as a mother's hug when you are feeling a bit under the weather. Bon Appetit!
New Potato Colcannon. This is a delicious colcannon recipe I wanted to share with you before Saint Patricks' Day on the 17th of March. There is something pretty wonderful that happens when you combine cabbage and potatoes and Ireland.
Its called Colcannon! And its very Irish. This is a slightly healthier version of the original. Created to be low GI and very diabetic friendly.
During the 17th and 18th century in Europe and Ireland, cabbages, potatoes and leeks were considered to be the basic foods of the common serf, man. In other words, most people. Only the very wealthy could afford to eat fancier foods.
Colcannon is the inevitable result of mankind's ability to make lemonade out of lemons. And it is a most delicious way to present these three simple ingredients. This dish however uses milder spring onions rather than the much stronger flavored leek.
A first reference to Colcannon in Irish History was found in the 1735 diary entry of William Bulkely, a traveler from Wales who was introduced to the dish on a Halloween night in Dublin:
“Dined at Cos. Wm. Parry, and also supped there upon a shoulder of mutton roasted and what they call there Coel Callen, which is cabbage boiled, potatoes and parsnips, all this mixed together. They eat well enough, and is a Dish always had in this Kingdom on this night.”
The word colcannon is derived from the Gaelic term “cal ceannann” which means white-headed cabbage. Although generally speaking these days the dish is made from either Kale or the darker green savoy cabbage!
Humble ingredients put together in a most delicious way, this is considered haute cuisine in many multiple Michelin star restaurants. In short this is a beautiful side dish well deserving to be served on any table!
This version I am sharing today boasts the addition of some smoky and salty pancetta. Oh, I just adore bacon and pancetta. Both go so very well with cabbages and potatoes of any kind, hence the addition of pancetta to this dish only makes sense.
New potatoes are considered to be low GI. In order to be considered low GI, a food must have a glucose index score of less than 55. These carbohydrates take longer to break down than their higher GI counterparts, which means that they cause a persons sugar levels to raise much more slowly, which is good news when it comes to controlling your diet as a diabetic.
I love it when the side dish becomes the star of the meal. I am a vegetable lover after all, and could be quite happy if I never ate meat again.
Well, I tell, a bit of a lie there because I would miss a good steak every now and again, and I do kind of like roast chicken and turkey. And a really well done Prime Rib Roast is a magnificent thing to behold and to eat!
Okay . . . I guess it's settled. I just like to eat. But I do have my favorite things and vegetables are one of them!
This Crushed New Potato Colcannon is a delightful side dish! Chock full of lovely savoy cabbage and new potatoes. It is also a perfect side dish to enjoy on Saint Patrick's Day.
I have also used spring onions, which have a nice mild onion flavor, not too harsh. It goes really well with the cabbage.
Savoy cabbage is quite a mild flavored cabbage. If you were to use leeks, or even regular onions, you run the risk of them overpowering the dish.
This is a case where you want to be able to taste the cabbage. Another reason I chose savoy is because it is has such a pretty green color and Saint Patrick's Day is all about the green!
This is a side dish that goes together really quickly once you have the individual elements of it ready to go. I sautéed the prosciutto first in a skillet, reserving the drippings for the finish.
The cabbage itself, was lightly steamed, so as to help preserve that rich green color. The potatoes were boiled in lightly salted water, just until they were fork tender.
You could actually do all of these things earlier in the day or the night before so that when the time came, you could quickly and easily just throw the dish together.
Spring onions/scallions are cooked in the pan drippings, just long enough to wilt them without browning. Once you've done that you quickly add the potatoes to the pan, heating them through and crushing them a bit in the process.
Then you add the cabbage and prosciutto, gently tossing everything together and heating both as well. A knob of butter is optionally thrown in at the end to add a bit of richness, but I can tell you, this beautiful side dish is every bit as delicious without it. ''
This was served simply with some grilled bangers/sausages, steamed carrots and a spoonful of grainy Dijon mustard. It would also go well with grilled pork or lamb chops, or even grilled chicken.
In fact, this is pretty tasty all on its own. Not to confess or anything, but I could be quite happy with just a plate of this and nothing else!!
Crushed New Potato Colcannon
Yield: 4
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 35 Min
A healthier version of an old Irish favorite. Its delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds (600g) new potatoes, unpeeled, washed well and cut in half
- 3/4 pound (400g) savoy cabbage, washed, trimmed and coarsely shredded
- 2 tsp sunflower oil
- 4 rashers prosciutto, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced (scallions)
- 2 TBS (25g) butter, cubed (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the prosciutto into a large skillet, along with the oil. Cook, until crisp. Scoop out and drain on paper towels.
- Set the skillet aside for now and reserve the pan drippings.
- Put the potatoes into a saucepan of lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes until tender. Drain well.
- Cook the cabbage in boiling water for about 3 minutes, until just tender. Drain well, run under cold water and drain again.
- Reheat the drippings in the skillet. Add the spring onions to the skillet and soften without coloring.
- Add the cabbage and heat through. Drop in the potatoes and lightly crush.
- Stir through the prosciutto and season to taste. If you are using butter, stir it in now.
- Serve hot.
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