Barely Borscht

This recipe happened accidentally one day when I was concocting a soup made with vegetables I had just bought at the Farmers' Market. Having already put the veggies in, I wondered what kind of seasoning would work, and I looked up soups with beets... bringing me to borscht, of course! All I had to add was cabbage and a bit of vinegar, followed by a slab of cream cheese in the bowl, and I got a nice borscht, made mellow by the squash. Mmmm.

BARELY BORSCHT

1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 med. beet, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 med. onion, chopped
1/4 med. head cabbage, chopped
2 yellow squashes, cubed (or substitute 2 cups peeled winter squash)
5 cups vegetable stock
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cider vinegar
cream cheese

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In a soup pot, melt the butter with black pepper added. Sauté the beet, celery, and onion until softened. Add the cabbage and sauté briefly.

Add the stock, squash, salt, and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until squash and beets are tender.

When serving, add 1 Tbsp. cream cheese to each bowl. You can substitute sour cream or yogurt, if you prefer.

Serves 6


For more of my favorite cabbage recipes, see
How to Cook Non-Yucky Cabbage
Cabbage Soup
Colcannon
Maple-Pecan Fried Slaw
Onion Pie

This recipe appears on

Maple-Pecan Fried Slaw

This is a wonderful veggie side dish, which I adapted from a recipe in Gourmet Magazine. Originally calling for shredded Brussels sprouts, I tried cabbage once, and found that it tastes much better. So here's my version, which the whole family likes--even the kids.

MAPLE PECAN SLAW

1/2 cup pecan pieces (approx. 1/2”)
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp.) butter
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

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In a dry skillet, toast pecans over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until fragrant and slightly browned. Add 1 Tbsp. of the butter, the maple syrup, and 1/2 tsp. of the salt. Turn heat to low and warm the ingredients until butter is melted and pecans are coated. Set aside.

In a large, open pan, such as a stock pot, melt the remaining butter with the black pepper and the rest of the salt over medium heat. Add the cabbage and toss. Sauté until wilted but still crisp-tender--about 3-5 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the pecan and maple glaze from the skillet, and cook for another minute, stirring well.

Serves 8

adapted from a recipe by Shelley Wiseman found in Gourmet Magazine, Nov. 2003
http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2003/11/brussels-sprouts-maple-hickory-nuts


For more of my favorite cabbage recipes, see
How to Cook Non-Yucky Cabbage
Barely Borscht
Cabbage Soup
Colcannon
Onion Pie

Colcannon: The Original Comfort Food

I know, it looks like cat barf. But really this is a combination of mashed potatoes, cabbage, leeks, butter, garlic, and rosemary. It would have looked better if I had broiled the top, but it's still warm here in Texas. And when this stuff goes down, the happiness quotient goes way up.

COLCANNON

2 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed & chopped with skins on
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter
1 lb. fresh cabbage, cut in 1” chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 med. leeks, washed & sliced up to 1” above the white part
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, ground in mortar & pestle

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Place potatoes in a large pan, cover with water, bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Drain well.

While potatoes are cooking, sauté cabbage in butter for a few minutes. Add leeks and garlic, and continue cooking on low heat, covered, until cabbage is soft but not mushy.

Combine cooked potatoes with cabbage mixture, and mash. Some chunks are desirable. Stir in salt, pepper, and rosemary.

If desired, place in an oven-proof dish and broil to brown the top.

Serves 8


For more of my favorite cabbage recipes, see
How to Cook Non-Yucky Cabbage
Barely Borscht
Cabbage Soup
Maple-Pecan Fried Slaw
Onion Pie

This recipe appears on

Cabbage Soup

Really... this is good... really... I promise. It's the rosemary that makes this so good.

CABBAGE SOUP

1 sm. head cabbage, cored and chopped in about 1” pieces
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cups rice milk or regular milk
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

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In the bottom of a soup pot, sauté celery, onions, and pepper in butter until softened. Add cabbage and stir fry for a few minutes. Add milk and bring to a boil--just up to a simmer if using regular milk. Turn heat down and add vegetable stock and salt. Simmer.

Grind the rosemary with a mortar and pestle or finely chop in a food processor. Add to soup.

Continue simmering until cabbage is crisp-tender, or 10-15 minutes. Serve with croutons.

Serves 8

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see: crouton recipe


For more of my favorite cabbage recipes, see
How to Cook Non-Yucky Cabbage
Barely Borscht
Colcannon
Onion Pie
Maple-Pecan Fried Slaw

This recipe appears on

Cabbage: Another Misunderstood Veggie

The poor cabbage has a reputation of being tasteless, mushy food for impoverished Victorians. I grew up eating boiled cabbage several times a year, which was indeed an amorphous mass on the plate and on the palate. To my delight, I have discovered several ways of cooking this food that make it truly a pleasure to eat.

Important: do not overcook.

Okay, now that we're straight with that, you can cook tasty cabbage by stir-frying in some butter or olive oil, or by cooking it in milk (I use rice milk). I don't know why, but bringing chopped-up cabbage to a simmer in milk makes it cook up very nicely-- just stop when it's crisp-tender. I have also baked it in a vegetable tart (in a pie crust with onions, tomatoes, and cheese)... mmm.

Here are some of my best cabbage recipes:
Borscht
Cabbage Soup
Colcannon
Maple-Pecan Fried Slaw
Onion Pie