My Favorite Cabbage Recipe

I had promised to do a recipe post on Kholrabi, however I haven't been able to get any more. Weather has warmed up and they like the cold so that is over until the fall. In it's place I am going to submit my favorite cabbage recipe. The cabbages at the farmers market have been fantastic lately and I love the versatility of this vegetable.

When most folk think of cabbage, they think either a slaw or boiled with potatoes. This is a quick saute with flavorful spices and some nice white beans to make the dish a main course or hearty side. The this is a simple dish that you can throw together in a couple minutes but is full of flavor. you will need:

1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 small white onion diced
3 cups sliced cabbage
1 can northern or other white bean, drained and rinsed well
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/4 cup water or broth
Salt and pepper to taste



First thing you want to do is "bloom" the spices. This can be made in a wok or a saute/frying pan. I used my trusty cast iron this time. Heat the pan with NO oil and then add the tumeric and cumin seed, give it a shake and toast for 30 seconds or so. The tumeric will darken slightly and the spices will become very fragrant.



Add the oil and then the onions and saute until soft, the cumin seeds will "pop" a bit in the oil.



Then add your cabbage, season with salt and pepper, I find this dish likes salt fairly well. You may or may not need to add a 1/4 cup of water or broth at this point, depends on the water content of the cabbage. I use my homemade vegetable broth. Cook the cabbage to your liking, I like mine still a bit crunchy.



The cabbage will take on a wonderful yellow hue from the tumeric. Add your beans and continue cooking until the beans are warm.

Remove from heat and serve garnish with tomato or fresh herbs. This also tastes great the next day and reheats well.



This recipe responds well to some fiddling, I have added serrano chilies for extra heat, diced tomatoes tossed in at the end, or you could add chicken to it to make a non vegan version. I think some diced pork would also go good in this, play around with it and make it your own.