FOOD No time for cabbage snobs

REDISCOVER RED?The anthocyanins in red cabbage have been linked with cancer prevention.

Sticking up for cabbages everywhere


Food
Redmond Cabot

Cabbage has put up with an awful lot of snobbery. Fancy veg like courgettes, aubergines and fennel are thought of as more ‘noble’; poor old cabbage is seen as a bit pedestrian. But it’s time to re-engage with the worthy cabbage and challenge our perceptions of it.
This is hardy, local, satisfying, natural produce, and it deserves to be appreciated so. These autumn and winter months are perfect for getting your hands on great Irish cabbage. There are many varieties – white, green, purple, and red – and just as many ways to eat it. Sure, there’s bacon and cabbage, but did you ever thing about pairing other pork dishes with cabbage? What about duck breast with cabbage? Perfect plate companions.
Try boiling some cabbage in light stock, draining it, adding fresh thyme, butter and a splash of cream and cooking another three minutes. Try serving oven-baked white fish with spuds and cabbage pesto made from outside cabbage leaves boiled and blended with pine nuts, parmesan, oil, garlic. Boil the inner hard, heart and then fry it in butter until coloured. Stir-fried cabbage with adding fennel and mustard seed is a personal favourite.
Let me shout with a loudspeaker. Cabbage is healthy, versatile, and fun! Get into it! The health benefits of eating fresh and natural cabbages are manifold too. They contain folate, which is especially good for pregnant women, and a host of vitamins. The red variety contains cancer-fighting anthocyanins. All are naturally low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Red cabbage braised with apples
With a name like Red Cabot, I endured my fair share of red-cabbage jokes in my school days. This may or may not have contributed to me ignoring this versatile vegetable for some years. However, the love affair is now re-kindled! The trick with red cabbage is not to over-do the vinegar. The apple and cabbage combination is delicate enough and already offers a tart/sweet combination. It goes well with any winter dish, just requiring a slow cook beforehand. Try beside any beef stews or slow roasts.

What you need

• 900g red cabbage
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
• 1 onion, chopped small
• 50g butter
• 150ml sherry vinegar

What you do
Soften and fry the onion in butter for three minutes, add the cabbage and apple, and stir, cooking for four minutes. Throw in the vinegar, turn the heat right down, cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes. If you don’t use it all in one sitting, it will keep in the fridge under cling film. This recipe produces a softer cabbage. Cooking it quicker leaves a crunch. Some people add sultanas and raisins, but not I.  

Creamed Savoy cabbage
Before you say ‘Look, Redmond’s just been talking to us about the natural healthy goodness of cabbage and now he’s sexing it up with some cream!’, I’ll tell you that as long as you head in the general direction you are allowed to treat yourself with natural ingredients too. The celeriac is great here, contributing to the creaminess of the dish, but you can use potatoes if you prefer.

What you need

• Half a Savoy cabbage
• 50g chopped streaky bacon
• 30g each of carrot and celeriac, both diced small
• 250ml cream
• Seasoning

What you do
Use a wide, heavy pan that has a lid. Heat your oil and fry your bacon, carrot and celeriac for four minutes, starting with high heat and immediately turning to medium. Chop your cabbage. I like to wash it in a colander and then shake it dry, so that some wetness and water  comes across with the cabbage. I feel this helps integrate the tastes and flavours. It should not reduce the natural crunch and fibre provided you do not over cook it (this happens a lot). Add the cabbage, stir and cover. Cook for three minutes, add the cream, stir and cook for another two minutes so the cream can bubble and reduce.
Try serving with pan-fried duck breast sliced on top of the mix, or side-by-side with grilled pork chops. Nyum nyum.

Red Cabot is interested in food, nature and small things. He sells his food at Westport Country Markets in St Anne’s Boxing Club, James’s Street car park, Westport, every Thursday, from 8am to 1pm.