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[1] Familiar green cabbage (photos #1, #2, and #4 © Good Eggs).
[2] The equally familiar red cabbage.
[3] Less often found: Savoy, the prettiest cabbage (photo © Monika Grabowska | Unsplash).
[4] A Chinese cooking staple: bok choy.
[5] Napa or Chinese cabbage (photo © MG Produce).
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St. Patrick’s Day evokes corned beef and cabbage—a dish the Irish learned in America, by the way, from immigrant Jews on New York’s Lower East Side. But we’d like to use the occasion for a plea:
Make cabbage the new kale. Even if you’re not tired of trendy kale, we sure are.
We’re turning back the clock. We were a cabbage lover before we ever heard of kale. Coleslaw and Nana’s stuffed cabbage were favorites while we were still in kindergarten. Next came sauerkraut on hot dogs and the braised red cabbage served with Sauerbraten, the German classic that marinates beef in vinegar or wine.
Cabbage is sharp and crunchy when served raw in salads and slaws. Unlike lettuce, it doesn’t wilt under dressing.
It becomes soft and suppple when braised over low heat, made into soup or cooked in casseroles. Heat brings out some sweetness.
It is both crisp and tender when grilled or added to stir-frys.
It plays well with other vegetables: brassicas, root vegetables, potatoes.
Check out the delicious recipe below, Thai Steak Salad With Red Cabbage.
CABBAGE VS. KALE
Like kale, cabbage is a brassica (cruciferous vegetable), packed with anticarcinogen antioxidants.
It even has fewer calories. Here’s a nutritional comparison.
Eat This Not That highlights 10 greens that are healthier than kale. (This article, based on a report from the Centers For Disease Control [CDC], begs the question: When will chard become the next supergreen?)
Finally, it’s a much more versatile ingredient, as you’ll discover when you keep reading.
TYPES OF CABBAGE
With these choices, it doesn’t get dull:
Bok choy/white cabbage, crisp, broad, white stems with a nutty nuance; tender, deep green leaves that taste not unlike spinach.
Green cabbage, ubiquitous, slightly peppery when raw.
Red/purple cabbage, slightly earthier than green cabbage.
Savoy cabbage, deeper green color, beautifully crinkled leaves, thinner leaves with mild flavor.
Napa† cabbage/Chinese cabbage, oblong shape with frilly, sweeter, softer leaves.
You can use them interchangeably in recipes where the cabbage is chopped or sliced, like cole slaw or soup. The round heads are interchangeable, except when color or texture is important.
While they do have different flavors, bok choy and napa cabbage are interchangeable in stir-fries and braises.
Bok choy is white-stemmed with dark green leaves; napa cabbage is pale green with crinkly leaves.
Napa cabbage has a very mild flavor along with a peppery kick. Bok choy has a stronger flavor, similar to green cabbage.
WAYS TO USE CABBAGE
For starters:
Baked cabbage chips (recipe)
Casseroles
Lettuce cup substitute
Sandwich wraps
Sauerkraut
Sides
Slaws
Soups and stews
Stuffed cabbage
Emeril’s favorite cabbage recipe has bacon and is simmered in beer.
We’d love to know your favorite cabbage recipe.
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*The Brassica family of cruciferous vegetables includes arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, horseradish/wasabi, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rapeseed/canola, rapini, rutabaga and turnips, among others.
†Here, “napa” does not refer to California’s Napa Valley. The word originates from a Japanese term that refers to the leaves of vegetables that are edible. The variety originated near Beijing, China.
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