Cabbage

>
>>Cabbage is what our poor immigrant great-grandparents ate in the old country
>>because it was cheap and plentiful, what our grandparents overcooked and
>>forced our parents to eat because it was cheap and plentiful, and what our
>>parents swore they would never eat again if they didn't have to and never
>>cooked for us.
>>Cabbage is seen as a poor-persons vegetable, and people shunned it in the
>>post-WWII time of prosperity, and no one ever learned to cook it properly.
>>Cabbage is a labor-intensive plant, both to grow and to prepare for eating.
>>Young people don't care to do all that.
>
>
> Mom cooked cabbage until it was so soft, it activated my gag reflex. A
> lot of her vegetables did that. I remember when she discovered
> tender-crisp carrots. Suddenly, they became edible! Most other
> things continued to be three minutes of cooking short of becoming
> cream of whatever soup.
>
> I love cabbage sauteed briefly in olive oil and butter, then salted,
> peppered, and devoured.
>
> Carol
>
I have several non - standard ingredients for my stock pot and cabbage
is at the
top of the list.

I do tend to keep the all the windows in the house open when boiling
cabbage though:)

I also like to make a chiffonade of cabbage and sauté it with some rice
noodles in sesame oil add a bit of shrimp and/or chicken & mushrooms,
season with a bit of chili sauce and serve with a bit of soy sauce &
dark sesame oil.

Of course people usually gag on hearing about my boiled meat loaf which
is wrapped up in cabbage leaves, as well as having chopped cabbage as an
ingredient in the meat mix, but once they taste it they change their
mind about it. Once i discovered Escoffier i stopped calling it boiled
meat loaf and now call it "Sou Fassum Provencale" :)

Stuffed cabbage is very good though tedious to make.

Chou rouge a la flamande is a favorite of the elderly relative.

Cut the cabbage into quarters, discard the outside leaves and stumps and
slice the rest into a fine julienne. Season with salt and grated
nutmeg, sprinkle with vinegar and place in a well buttered earthenware
cocotte.

Cover with the lid and cook gently in a moderate oven. When three
quarters cooked, add 4 peeled and sliced pippin apples and 1 tbs. of
brown or caster sugar. Take care that the cooking is gentle from start
to finish and that no other liquid except the vinegar is used.

Im actually very fond of Brussels sprouts also.
--
JL