Strange Cabbage Obsession …

Strange Cabbage Obsession …

sprouts, bacon, potatoesYesterday was the Day of the Cabbages. Since Christmas, I’ve been strangely obsessed with cabbage — am I deficient in vitamin C perhaps? I wonder ….

My last batch of sauerkraut fermented up just fine, but unfortunately, the plastic bucket in which I made it retained a whiff of the Mrs Meyers cleaner I’d used to scrub the bucket out, so I wound up throwing out the whole batch. Yesterday I found a lovely 3 gallon stoneware crock at a local antiques store, so it was time to fire up another batch of sauerkraut. I did pretty much the same as the first time — alternating layers of cabbage and sliced onions, with bay leaf, coriander and celery seed, and of course, salt. I used about one soup spoon of pickling salt for each half a cabbage — kind of a rough estimate so we’ll see.

I also made up a batch of Asian cole slaw — cabbage, shredded carrot, mixed with the leftover sliced onions (which were too thick, I did them in the Cuisinart instead of on the mandoline) chopped in with cilantro and a little parsley. I grated one clove of garlic and a small knob of ginger in, then made a dressing out of the juice of one lime, some rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, a little soy, some sesame oil, and olive oil. Tossed it all and put it in the fridge overnight to do it’s thing. With a few toasted peanuts on top it’s delicious.

And then last night I had the weirdest craving — I have all these brussels sprouts that came out of the garden that have been hanging around the fridge for a while, so I crisped up some homemade pancetta, then threw in a chopped onion and a couple of cubed potatoes. When they were all sizzling away I threw in a rice bowl’s worth of trimmed and halved brussels sprouts, and then because it didn’t look green enough, I tossed in some leftover escarole. A splash of wine and the top on it for about 10 minutes, then one last blast of heat and a grating of raclette cheese over the top and it was a really nice meal that wasn’t meat-based.

Must be too much holiday. All I want is sautee’d greens with a hint of pork. Today I’m making my traditional pot of New Year’s bean soup — must mean I’m getting old, the holidays have been delightful, but there’s just been too too much. All I want for New Years is, as my five year old friend Simone wailed on Christmas eve, “my comfy pyjamas.” I have one little party I’m going to early, but I plan to be home, in my PJs, with the dogs, in a house that smells like ham and bean soup.

3 thoughts on “Strange Cabbage Obsession …

  1. Sounds delicious. I wish we were staying home. I love the friends dearly who we are going to visit, but I just want to curl up on the couch next to the fire.

    Peace to you in the coming year.
    ~meadowlark

  2. I’m about to make a brussel sprout/onion/apple /potatoe and bacon thing which sounds quite similar to yours. Brussels are part of the cruiciform veg group which are supposed to be so good for us which could be why in the midst of winter we crave them.

  3. I am a great believer in eating that which you crave, unless it happens to be Bombay Mix and beer, in which case yoga is the answer!

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