Chines Cabbage Stir-Fry

Chinese Cabbage is back! Something about the crispness of veggies in a stir fry is pure joy. This is a great way to use your carrots and sugar beets too.

Here's a classic from Gourmet, 1997 posted on this blog originally by Cristiana Thomas. Don't worry so much that you don't have daikon, make do with regular radishes or substitute the sugar beets from the share.

GINGERED VEGETABLE STIR-FRY

3 tbsp. 2 tbsp. 1 tsp. 1 tsp. 1 tsp. 1/4 lb. 2 tbsp. 1/2 lb. 1/2 lb. 1/2 lb. 2 lg. cloves 2 tsp.

chicken broth Chinese rice wine or medium-dry Sherry sugar cornstarch salt fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded vegetable oil carrots (about 3 medium), cut into julienne strips daikon (an Asian radish), cut into julienne strips (about 2 cups) chinese cabbage, sliced thin (about 4 cups) garlic, minced minced peeled fresh ginger root

In a bowl stir together broth, rice wine or Sherry, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until combined will. Cut mushroom caps into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil and heat until it just begins to smoke. Stir-fry carrots 3 minutes. Add daikon (or sugar beets) and stir-fry vegetables 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, cabbage, garlic, and ginger root and stir-fry 2 minutes, or until carrots are crisp-tender. Stir broth mixture and add to vegetables. Stir-fry vegetables 1 minute. Serves 6.

Hot Greens with Crispy Onions

I was craving some greens, so I used everything left in the box. You could try the same thing with Escarole or Dandelion greens. 
Oh my. So freaking good.

You need
2 onions sliced thin
2 cups oil
Couple slices bacon
Bacon drippings
Olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
Tablespoon water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
A bunch of greens, use what you got, I had 2 bunches chard, kale,
purple cabbage, Savoy cabbage, and spinach
Cut out the tough stalks from your greens!

1. Fry the onions in batches in 350 degree oil. They'll be golden
brown and awesomely crispy. 2 minutes max.

2. Dissolve the sugar in one tbsp of water for about 5 minutes over
medium heat, then boil without stirring until sugar turns amber. Then
add the pepper flakes and cider vinegar and stir til the Caramel
dissolves. Cool, like a polar bear's toenails.

3. Next do your bacon low and slow til crispy.

4.Put two tbsp of bacon drippings and a tbsp of peanut or olive oil in
a large pot over medium high heat. Add half of greens and stir til
wilted, then add other half and cook until desired doneness, I like it
pretty al dente- so it took about 8 minutes.

5. Re- warm the gastrique, and pour over greens. Add crumbled up bacon
and top with crispy onions. Oh hell yeah!

Braised Red Cabbage

This recipe comes recommended from one of Rio Gozo Farm's CSA members.  She says,

"I made this red cabbage braise the other night and it was SO GOOD. Served it with polenta and roasted pork loin. The next day I just had a plate of the cabbage with the polenta for my lunch. So good! I did not use the bacon -- just a little extra butter and olive oil. Didn't miss it one bit but using it probably takes it over the top. Anyway, seriously my new fav way to eat red cabbage!"

I'm going to try it for myself. Thanks for sharing.

Braised Red Cabbage

(from Epicurious)

yield: Makes 8 servings

active time: 30 min

total time: 1 3/4 hr

ingredients

• 3 1/2 lb red cabbage (1 medium head), quartered, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
• 4 bacon slices, chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup white-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

preparation

Rinse cabbage under cold water, then drain (do not pat dry).

Cook bacon in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, reserving it for another use. Add butter to bacon fat, then increase heat to moderate and cook onions, stirring, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in cabbage, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and pepper and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 1 1/4 hours.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Braised-Red-Cabbage-105920#ixzz20L2GDk1A

Locavore's Confetti Slaw

Confetti Slaw    

1 c. grated green cabbage

1 c. grated purple cabbage

1/2 c. grated carrots

1/4 c. minced onion

1/8 c. dill pickle relish

2 tbls. fresh cilantro

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/8 c rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together and enjoy the stunning beauty of this dish as well as the summer fresh flavor!

Cabbage Mash-up by Mister Gardner

Ingredients:

2 lbs of cabbage. (quartered, cored, sliced thin crosswise)

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups carrots grated and peeled (white & orange!)

about 4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 -1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

Put cabbage, sugar and vinegar in a large bowl and toss to coat the cabbage.

Cover the bowl.  

Wait about 30 minutes, then toss cabbage again. Cover the bowl and wait another 30 minutes.

Drain the cabbage. (you can do this ahead of time, just put the cabbage in the fridge and do something else for a while like take the kids for a walk, play scrabble, write a blog)  

Add carrots, green onions and mayonnaise. 

Toss to coat. 

 Serve.  

Eat.  

Use salt and pepper if you want it.

Pan Fried Garlic Noodle with Asian Greens

The stir fry is brilliant, they're quick and great as leftovers for lunches all week. Until I made my own from this week's CSA box I avoided vegetable medleys. So often they are overcooked and overcomplicated. I like carrots with carrots, greens with greens... but everything goes well with garlic noodles. Here's a recipe to try. Adapt it to your preferences. It's an excellent way to eat from the fields. We may make stir fry into a weekly theme night. The kids love to try chopsticks. We like to try the Sake.

Pan Fried Garlic Noodle with Asian Greens

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

4-6 Cloves of Chopped garlic

1 package of noode (Buckwheat, Soba, or Kelp work well)

1 tsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp Soy sauce

1 head of Bok Choy cut 1/4 in thick diagonally

1/2 head green cabbage shaved into strips

1 bunch cleaned young turnip greens (aren't you glad you didn't throw them out)

Toasted Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

Few shakes of garlic salt to taste

Start with pre-cooked noodles. Have them ready and set aside.

Heat the toasted sesame oil in a wok or large cast iron skillet over medium high heat until it begins to sizzle. Turn heat down to medium and fry the garlic until light toasted brown color. Immediately add noodles, fish sauce, soy sauce and cook until heated and combined. Add bok choy, cabbage, and turnip greens (or some alternative) in that order. Cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic salt to taste. Remove from heat and garnish generously with sesame seeds.

Farmhouse Culture's Classic Kraut with Caraway

Homemade kraut is the best way to keep a cabbage around. It takes 30 minutes to prepare but 3 weeks to make. This recipe comes from a kraut lovin' company from Santa Cruz, Farm House Culture. I found them first at the Ferry Terminal Farmer's market in San Francisco and then recently featured in Sunset Magazine.

1 head green cabbage (3 lbs), shredded, 3 whole small leaves reserved

1 Tbsp caraway seeds

Coarse sea salt

1. Combine cabbage, caraway seeds, and 1 tbsp salt in a large bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes. Massage to release liquid from cabbage (forming a brine), about 5 minutes.

2. Pack cabbage mixture into 3 pint-size canning jars, making sure brine covers cabbage by at least 1 inch and leaving 1 to 2 inches of space at the top. Fold and push 1 reserved leaf into each, filling the top space(leaves do not need to be fully submerged).

3. Close jars tightly, and transfer to a glass baking dish or a nonreactive container with 2-inch-high sides. Let stand in a cool, dark place (64-70 degrees) for 5 days.

4. Slowly open and quickly close jars to gently release built-up pressure, being careful not to let the liquid bubble out. Let stand for 5 more days. Taste to determine if kraut is sour enough. Let stand until kraut is to your liking (we like a 21-day ferment), continuing to open jars every few days to release pressure.

*kraut can be refrigerated submerged in brine for up to 6 months.

A Winter Cabbage Salad

1. Whisk together in a bowl.

3 cups plain yogurt

1/2 milk

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced chives

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp Chopped mint

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2. Season with salt and ground pepper.

3. Toss 1 avocado, thinly sliced in 1 tbsp of lime juice.

4. Spread 8 cups shredded green cabbage in a shallow serving bowl.

5. Top with:

8 radishes, halved and thinly sliced

2 cups finely julienned peeled jicama (may substitute carrots)

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup thinly sliced celery (may substitute fennel)

6. Spread Yogurt dressing on top and cover for at least 4 hours or overnight.

7. Just before serving sprinkle:

4 ounces crumbled Cotija cheese (may substitute feta)

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds.

Cabbage

Gorgeous photo by Pia Tryde, professional photographer

My favorite used book store find, Sloe Gin and Beeswax, is the source of the majority of my home aspirations. It's a beautifully photographed book of seasonal recipes from traditional old fashioned storerooms. I would like a storeroom and a mud room one day. But for now I'll be picking away at the projects the book inspires in our Southern California farm house where food grows all year round and we never have to "put anything up". We just get to.

This is not a book for beginners- it's the B side of cookbooks for the connoisseur (otherwise where would you find juniper berries and blades of mace.) One has to look around a bit. Here is a recipe from the book. I recommend you get your hands on a copy for the art of it alone.

Pickled Red Cabbage

2 red cabbages

4oz salt

1 pint red wine vinegar

1 pint distilled malt vinegar

4 bay leaves

1 tablespoon juniper berries

4 whole dried chillies

1 tbsp black peppercorns

Small piece fresh ginger

1 tsp coriander seeds

5 blades mace

Quarter cabbages and remove stem and core. Shred very finely and put into a bowl sprinkling layers with salt, and leave for 24 hours. Meanwhile put vinegars into a pan and add spices except bay leaves and juniper berries. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes ten leave to get cold. Next day wash leaves and juniper berries. Pour in the strained vinegar and seal the lids.

CSAuerkraut

A most clever title from CSA member Sam. You can check out more of his cleverness here. He explains how to make his favorite cabbage dishes below.

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Slice head of cabbage thinly. Mix with 2.5% by weight in salt. Layer in a crock or whatever is handy (I reused a protein powder container that seemed the right aspect ratio). Smash each layer to release the juices. Lay one full leaf over the top. Put a weight on it (like a canning jar filled with water). There should be sufficient brine/juice to cover the leaf (if not, smash harder - this step is key). We mixed in a heaping tablespoon of miso paste for the innoculating fun of it. Loosely cover enough to keep bugs out. We let it sit for 2 weeks, smooshing down the cabbage once during that time. It may start tasting sauerkraut-y after 1 week ("lacto flavor"). Cabbage will continue to get sour and soft with time (in a good way). When it's ready enough, remove the invariably gross top layer and fearlessly start munching on the lacto goodness underneath. We used the "regular" cabbage for this, but you can mix in any and all greens, carrots, whatever!

We also have converted a couple heads of the CSAvoy cabbage into "quick chi": Chop coarsely. Toss with salt. Let wilt at room temp for 4-8h. Mix with a chili sauce of chili, ginger, vinegar, vegetarian fish sauce. Toss and refrigerate. It shall keep forever.

Next time anything even remotely starchy shows up from Rio Gozo, I WILL make CSAle from it!

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Here's another link with more cabbagey goodness.

Asian Cabbage Slaw

We love cabbage and we know that we are not alone. There is no way that the lowly cabbage could play such a prominent role in so many diverse cuisines without being well loved by many a home cook. Here is a quick reminder that cabbage and Asian flavors go together like bread and butter. Mix all ingredients, and let sit overnight.

1 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 C rice vinegar
1/2 C chopped cilantro
4 scallions, green parts only
2 Tbs toasted sesame oil
2 Tbs soy sauce