A Heady Question

November 4, 2020 7:01 PM

I have a fairly large head of cabbage from my Misfit box. We had a small head last time and made deconstructed stuffed cabbage. I'm looking for other ideas. We have a grinder and as a fall back idea, I'll grind it and fry it and freeze it for cabbage and noodles.

We had a small head last time and made deconstructed stuffed cabbage.

I'm looking for other ideas. We have a fairly well stocked pantry. Crock pot, Instant Pot. Stand mixer with grinder.

Family of 3. I'm an adventurous eater, my dad and brother not so much. No food restrictions.

As a fall back idea, I'll grind it and fry it and freeze it for cabbage and noodles. But I'd really like to try something else.

Cooks of MeFi.... start your ovens!

posted by kathrynm to Food & Drink (34 answers total)

Okonomiyaki is very tasty.
posted by pinochiette at 7:15 PM on November 4, 2020 [10 favorites]

Last week I had not much in the fridge besides cabbage, and I made this: Pasta with Cabbage, Anchovies and Breadcrumbs. I was expecting it to be a passable meal for filling a hungry belly and avoiding food waste, but it was incredible! As the article says, don’t skip the anchovies, even if you think you don’t like them. The final meal won’t taste fishy, just rich, salty and delicious.
posted by embrangled at 7:16 PM on November 4, 2020 [4 favorites]

First thing that comes to mind is fermenting or fridge-pickling it. Naturally ferment some Kimchi and Sauerkraut and vinegar/salt brine a few smaller batches. It'll last for quite some time.

Second suggestion is grilling or broiling it. It works best in wedges that are about an inch thick, as you want the inside to cook while lightly charring, but not burning the outside. Marinate it overnight for best results. I use some kind of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and honey.
posted by Anoplura at 7:17 PM on November 4, 2020 [7 favorites]

When I buy cabbage it's either for okonomiyaki or cole slaw so those would be my suggestions.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:19 PM on November 4, 2020

You should be able to use up most if not all of the cabbage in Cabbage Soup.

3/4 head cabbage, chopped
6 c water
1 large onion, chopped
3 T sugar
1 T salt
pepper
dash allspice
1 bay leaf
2 T Worcestershire
1 lb ground beef (at least 85% lean)
2 6-oz cans tomato paste

Combine all ingredients except tomato paste in Dutch oven or soup pot. Bring to a boil; simmer one hour. Add tomato paste; simmer 15 minutes longer.
posted by DrGail at 7:26 PM on November 4, 2020

I’ve been getting so much cabbage in my farm share. These are recipes I’ve tried and were loved by my opinionated family:

crispy chicken with cabbage and bacon

not your mamas coleslaw

pork and cabbage dumplings

roasted cabbage with walnuts and Parmesan
posted by inevitability at 7:31 PM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

I like to shred it fine and make a salad dressed with lime juice, fish sauce, cilantro and/or mint, and a little sugar to balance.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:46 PM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Cabbage goes great in oatmeal. Works best if it's a red cabbage, because then you get purple oats.
posted by aniola at 7:51 PM on November 4, 2020

Slice into 3/4” or so slices. Put the round slice of cabbage on a tin foil square. Coat with olive oil. Put on the spices you like most. I do a caraway, poppy, touch of sugar and some dried onion seasoning so it tastes very Polish/rye bread-y. I think everything but the bagel seasoning would work great too.

Wrap the tinfoil around your cabbage “steak” and put it on the grill until tender.

If you can get it on the plate without your round slice breaking apart, the round shape makes for a very pretty base that you can throw some sausage slices on top, etc.
posted by slateyness at 7:54 PM on November 4, 2020 [2 favorites]

Came in to post the same Smitten Kitchen "Roasted Cabbage with walnuts and parmesan" that inevitability links above. I could eat an entire cabbages worth myself, no matter how large.
posted by theweasel at 7:55 PM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Brunkal and kalpudding are both *delicious* and either will easily use a whole large cabbage. As the New York Tiles blurb notes, cabbage undergoes a positively alchemical transformation when you bake it for a few hours.
posted by pullayup at 8:01 PM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Caramelised Cabbage.
posted by wwax at 8:16 PM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

if you have green or red cabbage, I have a version of this "Asian Slaw recipe" in my cookbook named "amazing slaw." I add chopped peanuts and I disagree about it not lasting-- I find I like the flavor on day 2 better.
posted by holyrood at 8:34 PM on November 4, 2020

Cabbage steaks. Slice vertically into 1 inch “steaks”, pour melted butter over, sprinkle with smoked paprika and top with a bit of parm and bake until tender.

Try it! You could do any seasoning you like, but smoked paprika is incredibly good, and adds a bit of umami. Cabbage is super versatile, but this is one of my favorite ways to cook it and worth trying out. It’s also good chopped and stir fried with butter, or in soup, red cabbage caramelized with bacon and apples...

I’ve also made this cheesy cabbage gratin from Bon Appetit that is really tasty.
posted by catatethebird at 8:41 PM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Mmmm, cabbage! You didn't say if it's green or red, but either way Molly Stevens has several fantastic braised cabbage recipes that I can't get enough of.

Her green cabbage is with onion, carrot, chicken stock, and balsamic at the end (I put it at the beginning tbh).

And the red cabbage with apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, bacon, granny smith apple.

I do both in a Dutch oven but I'm sure you could easily do them in the crock pot.
posted by switcheroo at 9:41 PM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

We made this Schmaltzy Cabbage with Roast Chicken. It's very easy and really delicious. And has inspired us to now roast chicken on top of potatoes, beets, onions, etc in our iron skillet several times. But really, the cabbage is so delicious. And, if you're inclined to make chicken broth, the carcass is perfect!



We also like to shred cabbage and toss it with leftover pickled jalapeno juice. It pickles quickly and is great with tacos of all sorts.
posted by fyrebelley at 10:32 PM on November 4, 2020 [2 favorites]

Cabbage keeps really well, a month is typical. It's great in soups and stir-fries. I made a use-up-leftovers-and-veg soup of sriracha sauerkraut, sausage, cabbage, kale, potatoes, carrots, onion. It's non-Asian hot and sour, and it was so good I made it again yesterday.

Colcannon.
posted by theora55 at 11:25 PM on November 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

I've started adding cabbage to my roasted winter-vegetable trays, usually with about 10-15 minutes left. Really nice to have a bit of crunch amid the mush, and if it's red/purple cabbage it adds a nice color contrast too.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 2:15 AM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

My go-tos for cabbage are sautéing with garlic and pepper flakes and finishing off with lemon juice (“Roman style”) or making a big jar of quick cabbage pickle (usually I add carrots as well) which I then use on everything.

I also recently made an amazing cabbage-and-potato gratin from a recipe on NYTimes cooking. It was like, “what if Mac n cheese, but cabbage?”
posted by mskyle at 2:20 AM on November 5, 2020 [2 favorites]

Slice it as thin as humanly possible and stir-fry on the highest heat.
posted by 8603 at 2:26 AM on November 5, 2020

Indian spices are great with cabbage! I do:
- Cabbage pakoras - thinly shred, add cumin and ajwain seeds and enough gram flour so that you can knead it into a sort of dough. You won't need that much flour - you need to squish the cabbage so that the water releases. Fry in small patties
- Cabbage bhajis - thinly shred and add to a custard-thick mix (I use sparkling water for lightness) of gram flour, ajwain seeds, cumin powder, onion powder and turmeric and fry in little dollops
- Braised cabbage - fry some onion with two or three cardamom pods, a clove and caraway seeds, add a few tomatoes and cook down, add thinly shredded cabbage, turmeric, ground coriander and some pepper + chilli to taste and put a tight lid on and let it cook down
posted by london explorer girl at 2:40 AM on November 5, 2020 [5 favorites]

Norway's favourite recipe: farikål:
• lamb
• cabbage
• salt, pepper
• water
Incredibly simple to make, super tasty. Recipe / instruction video here.
posted by Joeruckus at 3:00 AM on November 5, 2020

Use the big outer leaves for traditional stuffed cabbage (I encourage you to go for Hungarian style.) You can freeze the finished rolls and they make for fantastic "oh god what do we do for dinner I am so tired and sad" meals, with a little sour cream on the side. Then use the inner part of the cabbage in a few ways over the next while.

I like to do sort of thai peanut chicken salad with shredded chicken thighs, very thinly sliced cabbage, scallions, peanut sauce, lime, and jicama if I have it, usually with rice on the side or whatever type of noodle is lying around.

Chunks of cabbage can be grilled alongside other grilled veggies in fajitas or shawarma or kebabs of any sort and it mixes wonderfully with peppers and onions and mushrooms, or whatever you're grilling up. Just cut it into robust hunks and don't fuss with them much so they stay together. Try to get a little char, it will change the flavor in an awesome way.

A wintertime salad of cabbage, celery, fennel, and carrot, all thinly sliced or shaved with a vegetable peeler, is an outstanding way to balance a heavy comfort food meal like pot roast or stew. Do a lemony dressing and use celery leaves, carrot tops, and fennel fronds as the herbs.

If you've had colcannon and not enjoyed it much, I implore you to try making colcannon and then make little cakes of it that you pan fry. They get all crispy and golden on the outside with fluffy interiors and the cabbage lends a sweetness that isn't there in your typical potato pancake. It is so much better as leftovers.
posted by Mizu at 3:48 AM on November 5, 2020 [3 favorites]

Nthing the suggestion for chicken roasted over cabbage.
posted by slkinsey at 5:03 AM on November 5, 2020

When I have too much CSA cabbage, I also usually make the crispy chicken with cabbage and bacon that inevitability linked to above. You can easily at least double the amount of cabbage without changing anything else.

I also like this cabbage and kielbasa recipe from Budget Bytes.
posted by carolr at 5:55 AM on November 5, 2020

I would urge you to give home fermentation a try. It's not rocket science, and produces condiments that can be used in a variety of contexts.

I usually make curtido, a kind of Salvadoran sauerkraut with my cabbages. Once it's fermented, it keeps in the fridge forever - I've never had it go bad on me, even months down the road.

My recipe is to combine 1 head of thinly sliced cabbage with 2 julienned carrots, one thinly sliced bell pepper and a sliced yellow onion. Toss with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, 1 Tablespoon Mexican oregano, and maybe a teaspoon or more of ground chipotle or crushed red pepper.

Work the mixture with your hands so the salt draws lots of water from the veggies. Put it in a glass or ceramic container and punch it down so the liquid sits above the solids. Drop a jar or a plate or something in to weight the solids down, then cover with a cloth and let it sit in a dark place for 2 weeks.
posted by rocketman at 7:47 AM on November 5, 2020 [2 favorites]

I should add that when I've got a batch of curtido, I put it on tacos, or serve it with fish, or put it on sandwiches, or chop it up finely and add it to salads. It's versatile.
posted by rocketman at 7:48 AM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

I am team sauerkraut! It's super simple and you wind up with sauerkraut that is worlds better than the stuff in the can/baggie in the supermarket (and I like that stuff just fine). It is also one of my favorite things to gift to my father. He's just unbelievably impressed when I give him a giant jar of it every winter. You can also flavor it with other veggies, herbs, spices. It's a very versatile ferment.

Otherwise, this cabbage and mushroom 'lasagna' (it's really a casserole, who's Deb kidding?) is tasty. A bit of pre-cook and assembly is required, but very hearty if the weather is cold where you are.
posted by carrioncomfort at 10:13 AM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Some of these sound amazing. I'll pitch the chicken/cabbage/bacon dish. There are a ton I'd enjoy, but my family, no so much.

It is green cabbage.

Thanks. If anyone has anything to add, I'm all ears (eyes?).
posted by kathrynm at 11:03 AM on November 5, 2020

This is delicious and will please your non cabbage lovers.
posted by shadygrove at 3:37 PM on November 5, 2020

The usual go to for cabbage in our house is cabbage rolls. They have a lot variability depending on your tastes, every culture has some kind of variant so there are many recipes to choose from.
posted by Ashwagandha at 4:06 PM on November 5, 2020

I love cabbage in almost all forms.

Sauerkraut keeps forever (in the fridge; maybe outside if properly sealed), and when it's really really old and sour it makes a delicious hunter's stew when combined with various kinds of stewing meat. Traditional Polish bigos is half sauerkraut and half fresh cabbage.

I also love gołąbki (cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and mince, with a mushroom or cream of tomato sauce), but making them requires steaming the outside of the cabbage so that you can peel the outer leaves off without tearing them, which at some point leaves you with a half-parboiled cabbage centre. So I make them when I already have some sauerkraut, so that I can immediately make bigos as a followup to use up the rest of the cabbage.

Cabbage is also good stirfried or steamed on top of a curry or hotpot or with other steamed vegetables as a side. I also like it raw in a salad -- everyone knows about coleslaw, but an underappreciated simpler option is finely shredded cabbage with olive oil and garlic salt.
posted by confluency at 4:45 PM on November 5, 2020

Mmmm I used to make "fried" cabbage with kielbasa and pierogies. Start it with a little bacon fat, onions, then add the shredded cabbage. Salt, pepper, a tiny bit of sugar. Add some broth, cover it and let it cook down. I would get the kielbasa and pierogies from this Polish grocery store and it was so freakin good.
posted by mokeydraws at 6:37 PM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

Yes on sauerkraut - uses lots of cabbage and lasts ... forever?

Cut cabbage very thinly and then again across the pieces if you want small bits of sauerkraut, or just leave thin sliced.

1 tablespoon of salt for every 1¾ pounds (800 grams) of cabbage

Mix in a big bowl and squeeze together handfuls of cabbage

Let set for a couple hours as water releases

Put the liquid and cabbage in wide mouth quart glass jars

About 8 cups of cabbage fits into the quart jar after you press it into the jar as much as possible. I use a blender tamper or end of a rolling pin to compress the cabbage down into the jar. The goal is to have the cabbage liquid come up over the cabbage so no cabbage is above the water level. This can be helped by taking a smaller jar (like a 1 cup canning jar) and pressing it into the cabbage so the liquid level rises. Then fill the one cup jar with water so it serves as a weight.

Then set it on the counter and wait. Don't let the water level go below the vegetable level. If it does, add some salted water.

You can taste the cabbage from 3 days to weeks until it is fermented enough for your tastes, then refrigerate. I've kept it my fridge for months and months.
posted by RoadScholar at 2:42 PM on November 6, 2020