Braised Red Cabbage with Apples, Raisins and Chestnuts

Cabbages

For January 13, 2011

Cabbage has a lot going for it. It’s nourishing, cheap and easy to grow, thriving in every climate. It is so ubiquitous and so useful that people everywhere, throughout most of the world, eat it.

Naturally, such an important vegetable would be the subject of legend and so cabbage has been. Long ago some told their children that babies were born in a head of cabbage, a myth second only to the stork story. And that wasn’t all. They made up all sorts of cabbage tales, mostly having to do with finding husbands or losing money.

Although there are hundreds of varieties, Americans are most familiar with green cabbage, a heavy, round head of thick, compact leaves. But there are other round cabbages and some that are elongated. There are cabbages with tightly packed heads or loose ones, with flat leaves or crinkled ones and in several colors, from pale, almost whitish-green to purple.

Except for its reddish-purple color, Red Cabbage looks very similar to green, with a round, compact head. It also tastes like green cabbage, although it can have a stronger flavor. For the most part you can use it in most of the same ways -- braised, stir-fried and for soups. Because the leaves are so sturdy, red cabbage is an exceptional choice for Cole Slaw and other salads that benefit from a crunchy texture. The only caution is that while it adds visual appeal to foods, the color can bleed into the other ingredients. Adding an acidic ingredient (vinegar or lemon juice in Braised Red Cabbage or Cole Slaw, for example) can help preserve the color.

Napa cabbage has an elongated head and its leaves are not as tightly compacted as green cabbage’s. The leaves are tender and the flavor fairly mild, which makes this variety especially suitable for pickling (in such recipes as Hot and Sour Cabbage, Sauerkraut and Kimchi), stir-frying and for Asian style Cole Slaw. Delicate Napa leaves also come in handy for wraps, as a replacement for bread — place some cooked rice or noodles and shrimp or chicken on a leaf, sprinkle with a few drops of soy sauce and toasted sesame seed oil and roll it up to eat as a sandwich.

Savoy is the prettiest cabbage, with graceful green, crinkly leaves. It has the most delicate flavor of all the cabbages and it cooks quickly, so it is handy for a quick stir-fry to use as a side dish for rich roasts or as a bed for earthy or flavorful fish such as salmon. Braise it with crispy bits of bacon and add it to cooked noodles or as a tasty accompaniment to roasted pork or milder fish such as halibut or cod. Savoy’s pliable leaves also make it first choice for Stuffed Cabbage. You can use it for salad and Cole Slaw, although it wilts faster than other varieties, and as a replacement for green cabbage in such favorites as Colcannon (mashed potatoes and cooked cabbage) and Borscht.

Bok choy is an elongated vegetable with crunchy white stems and dark green leaves. There are large heads, which are first rate for stir-fries (cut the stems into chunks) and for braising, and also small ones (sometimes called Baby Bok Choy), which can be stir-fried or braised whole or cut in halves or quarters, depending on size. For a quick side dish that would work with most protein entrées, rinse and dry the leaves, heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a sauté pan and cook the bok choy for 4-5 minutes, turning the pieces frequently. You can perk up the flavor with seasonings as varied as grated ginger, chopped garlic or onion, fresh or dried chili peppers, fresh thyme, cilantro or parsley.

Brussels sprouts look like miniature green cabbages and their stong flavor is similar. But because of their size and shape we cook them as a side dish rather than add them to soups or dishes such as Cole Slaw. So, too, with broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and a host of other vegetables in the cabbage family.

There are even more virtues of the lowly cabbage. It is widely available and easy to find in produce departments, so you won’t have to shop around for it. Stores frequently put cabbage up for sale too, a boon for anyone trying to save money.

Cabbage has an undeserved bad reputation for being malodorous, but that’s only if you cook it too long. Keep cooking times to a minimum to appreciate the vegetable’s bright color and pleasant flavor. You’ll soon understand why this vegetable is legendary.