I like cabbage. It's one of those veggies that I always have in the fridge. I use it instead of lettuce on sandwiches or tacos and I like to sneak into mashed potatoes, stir fries, etc. It's sweet, versatile and adds great texture to your dish. It can be crunchy or soft, sometimes at the same time. It's also a good source of Fiber, Calcium, Iron and Vitamins A, C and many B Complex Vitamins.
Smothered cabbage cabbage cooked in bacon or pancetta and simmered until it's soft, nearly falling apart. I wanted to capture the earthiness of pancetta, so I opted to use some of the spices used to cure it; juniper berries, thyme and peppercorns. I added a few cloves for good measure. It wasn't as good as with the pancetta, but I did lick my plate and load up on seconds - and it was definitely better for the pig.
Smothered Cabbage
4 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 head Savoy cabbage (2 lbs)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups vegetable broth (next time I'll use chicken flavored)
1 tsp brown sugar
Bouquet Garni
2 bay leaves
10 juniper berries, crushed
4 sprigs thyme
4 whole cloves
15 whole peppercorns
For the bouquet garni, wrap the whole spices in a piece of cheesecloth and tie up so they won't fall out while cooking. you may also use a spice bag.
For the cabbage, quarter the head, then slice the core off of each corner. Cut each quarter into ribbons, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide, and not necessarily uniform. basically, cut into wide shreds.
Melt the margarine in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until the edges begin to brown. Add the garlic, salt and cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted. Add the vegetable broth and bouquet garni and bring to a boil. Partially cover the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer until the liquid has fully absorbed, about 45 minutes.
Remove the bouquet garni, stir in the brown sugar and season to taste. Depending on the broth you use, it is likely that you will want to stir in additional salt.
6 Servings: 127 cal (7g fat, 14g carbs, 4g protein)
Lentil walnut burgers.
2 weeks ago
What about some smoked paprika or liquid smoke? or fake canadian bacon? i've used that last one before to add smokiness to red sauce. or adding a root vegetable to the mix for an earthy flavor?
also, as a random recommendation, make the adobo sauce with the black beans from veganomicon and put it on everything. i made it and added carrots when cooking, to make it a little healthier. it was socks-off fantastic, and i know you like spicy recipes.
I really thought about liquid smoke. I decided against it because pancetta is smoked. Next time I will leave it out too.
I really like the idea of cabbage and adobo. I will definitely be playing around with that one. Thanks!