Recipes with cabbage: how to cook it in 5 different ways

Cabbage, a white cabbage packed with nutrients and beneficial antioxidants, It can be prepared in many different ways. In Central Europe it is fermented and then cooked and served as an accompaniment to hearty dishes. In other places raw preparations are preferred.

How to cut cabbage correctly

You can recognize high-quality and fresh cabbage by the fact that it is tightly packed and closed, without dark spots. Fresh leaves should squeak when rubbed against each other. Once the cabbage is chosen, we will have a large and difficult to handle ball in our hands. To use it in recipes it is necessary to cut it into small pieces.

Remove the outer layer of leaves from the cabbage. As long as the cabbage is clean on the bottom, you don’t need to wash it.cut cabbage in four parts.Remove the center by cutting it into quarters wedge shaped.Depending on the recipe, cut the cabbage into thin strips or grate it with a grater or with a food processor.

The two basic types of cabbage preparation are boiling and blanching, and both are very similar. The special thing about blanching is that you cook the cabbage for a very short time, Just enough to make it al dente. It can also be fried or eaten raw.

1. Boil cabbage

The cabbage only needs to cook briefly, the smaller you slice the cabbage the less time it will need to soften. If you have cut it into thin strips or slices, it is enough to cook it for five minutes in slightly salted water.

2. Bleach it

The cabbage is blanched, that is, it is briefly cooked, and then continue with other preparations, eg cabbage rolls.

To blanch it, place it in boiling salted water for two minutes. Then let it drain well.

Classic cabbage rolls are stuffed with minced meat. However, you can also prepare vegetarian or vegan cabbage rolls with textured soy filling or rice and vegetables, for example.

Make the rolls and then fry them or cook them over low heat, until lightly golden on all sides.

3. Fry the cabbage

If you don’t want to cook just cabbage, you can also fry it in the pan to get a fine roasted aroma.

To do this, you just have to cut the cabbage into thin strips. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the cabbage strips. Make sure the pan doesn’t get too hot, and stir the cabbage continuously so it browns evenly on all sides.

according to your taste, you can saute cabbage together with onion, garlic and hot spices, such as chili, paprika and pepper.

There are people who do not digest cabbage well; in these cases it is recommended prepare it with digestive spices such as caraway, fennel seeds or aniseed.

4. Prepare raw cabbage in salad

Cabbage contains vitamin C, but this is lost if we cook it, but it can be eaten raw and take advantage of all its nutrients. To eat it raw:

Cut the cabbage into thin strips or pass it through a grater or a processorMix the strips with the other salad ingredients. It goes especially well with apples, carrots, bell peppers or celery.The strips become very tender if you sprinkle them with salt and knead them well in a large bowl. Then squeeze the cabbage well.

The recipe with cabbage known is the coleslaw, much appreciated by Americans. To make it, you just have to mix the cabbage strips, with grated carrots, sweet onion, mustard, vinegar, black pepper and homemade mayonnaise. Leave it in the fridge for two hours before consuming it.

5. Ferment cabbage (sauerkraut)

Fermented cabbage is the ubiquitous sauerkraut or sauerkraut in Central European cuisine. Although sauerkraut is easy to find in supermarkets in Spain, these are products that have been pasteurized after fermentation, so they lack the live bacteria that make true sauerkraut an exceptional probiotic. The good news is that it is easy to prepare at home.

Ingredients:

1 kilo of cabbage 10 g of coarse salt Spices to taste

Elaboration:

Wash the jars where you are going to ferment the cabbage in boiling water for a few minutes. Cut the cabbage as explained at the beginning of this article and then into as thin strips as possible. After that, put it in a large bowl and add the salt and optional spices to the cabbage. To remove the water from the cabbage, put it in a wide bowl, add the coarse salt and knead it for 5 to 6 minutes (before, sanitize your hands ). Then let it sit for 6 hours. Using a wooden spoon, press the cabbage firmly into the jars and fill them to about 2 cm below the rim. Then completely cover the cabbage with any juices left in the bowl. You can add a little water (without chlorine) boiled and cooled if necessary. Wipe the rim and exterior of the jar with a cloth and cover or cover with clean cotton rags, fastened with rubber bands. Place the jars on a tray, wrap with a towel and leave in a cool (18-20ºC) and dry place. After a week you will notice that bubbles begin to rise, indicating that the fermentation process is underway. Let it ferment for a minimum of two weeks, preferably four (the flavor will be more intense). You can then loosely transfer it to other containers to store in a cool, dark place.