TASTES FROM CABBAGE TO MUSHROOMS

 

Tastes: from Cabbage to Mushrooms

           November seems to be dominated with visions of turkey and pumpkin pie. However, there are those other 29 days of the month, when the home cook needs to come up with a delicious meal to tempt everyone’s taste buds.

          Although cabbage is available year around, we tend to think of it as a winter vegetable. It had been traditionally one of the vegetables with known keeping properties after the autumn harvest either in cool storage or preserved as sauerkraut. While we have some of the best sauerkraut in the world close by at Morse’s here in the Midcoast, cabbage sometimes gets an undeserved short shrift, except as a coleslaw side dish in a restaurant.  Some of cabbage’s bad press comes from visions, descriptions and experiences of plain watery boiled cabbage with its pungent smell and mushy texture, both of which have little to recommend.

          Cabbage and the whole cruciform vegetable family have a lot to recommend in terms of vitamins (A, C, K and folic acid) to a variety of minerals (including iron), high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids and of course – fiber.  Additional  phytonutrients are released by enzymes that are present in fresh cruciform vegetables, when they are chopped and even briefly steamed. All this comes in low calorie packages as varied as: arugula, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards and even watercress.   A stalk of broccoli has only about 47 calories and a cup of sautéed cabbage only 29 calories not counting any oil.

          An excellent cold weather dish that combines cabbage and ground beef in a tomato sauce has its origins probably in Eastern Europe, but I learned it from Linda Brenner many years ago in Philadelphia. This is a somewhat modified version of that recipe. 

                                            Cabbage Rolls 

Trim the outer leaves of a medium head of cabbage and hallow out part of the core from the stem end.  Place the whole cabbage head core end down in a large pot of boiling salted water, so that it is completely covered and boil for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the cabbage head from the boiling water and start peeling off the outer leaves one at a time. Repeat the brief boiling process until you have most of the cabbage leaves separated. Have ready a 4 quart heavy pot or Dutch oven with lid. 

1)    Combine 1 lb. lean ground beef with 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ chopped medium onion, ½ teaspoon thyme, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley,      salt and pepper. Take a tablespoon of this mixture, place it near the widest part of a cabbage leaf and fold the leaf around the meat as enclosing in an envelope.

2)    Place the meat-cabbage roll in the pot, folded side down. Continue until all the meat has been used. Cut up any leftover cabbage coarsely and lay on top of the cabbage rolls or use in a soup or for creamed cabbage.

3)    Prepare the sauce by combining: 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 16 oz of plain tomato sauce, 2 large chopped onions, 2-3 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

4)    Ladle the sauce over the cabbage rolls and add a little of the cabbage boiling water to cover the cabbage rolls with liquid. Bring to boil, then lower the temperature and simmer for 2 hours. Serve with boiled potatoes or rice. This dish tastes even better when reheated and can be counted to provide several meals unless you are feeding a large family or friends.

                            

Mushrooms come in a variety of shapes and flavors. They are low in calories, good source of fiber, B vitamins and contain all the components of meat protein. Edible mushrooms have significantly more delicate flavor than the robust flavor provided by cabbage. We are most familiar with cultivated white button mushrooms.  Fresh shitake mushrooms, a staple in Oriental cooking and usually obtained in a dried form, have recently become available in many stores. This led to a warm grain salad enhanced by the earthy flavor of crisp shitake.

                        Warm Barley Salad with Shitake

Rinse 1 cup pearled barley three times, cover with cold water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and gently boil for 30 minutes. Drain barley and set aside.

1)    Wipe and trim 6 oz fresh shitake. Slice mushrooms in ¼ inch slices and chop the stems. Peel and thinly slice 3 medium shallots.

2)    In a large pan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter and cook the mushrooms undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until brown. Turn the mushrooms, add the shallots and cook undisturbed for additional 4 minutes.

3)    Stir in ½ teaspoon thyme, 1 minced clove garlic, season with salt and cook on low heat for additional 2 minutes. Stir in juice of 1 lemon and cook until liquid is absorbed.

4)    Stir in the barley and ¼ cup chopped parsley and cook until heated through. Adjust seasonings and serve warm shaved Gouda cheese (optional).

Visually pleasing healthy nutrition can be presented in a variety of tempting packages. It is the cook’s prerogative to choose the ingredients.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)