Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Today, it is customary to wear something green and to eat corned beef and cabbage. For those who don’t eat corned beef or just don’t want to invest the time it takes to cook, here’s an alternative: Use the cabbage; lose the beef. If the usual stinky-smelling boiled cabbage does not excite you, allow me to offer several delicious alternatives. After all, cabbage is a good source of vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, antioxidants and some B vitamins. It is said to improve digestion and help reduce the risk of cancer. And there are so many varieties: the waxy, green, compact heads we are familiar with; the Chinese (Napa) cabbage with its oval shape and broad leaves; savoy, with its crinkly, delicately-flavored leaves; and bok choy, found in many stir-fry dishes. So, in addition to wearing green, you can be eating green with a hearty, main-dish salad featuring cabbage. Select cabbages that are firm and heavy, with ends that are not dried out. Store in your refrigerator’s crisper, in a plastic bag.
Lemon cabbage
This is the only cooked cabbage recipe included today, to show how delicious cabbage can be. With a little heat, you can brown the cabbage and bring out a nutty taste. This aromatic side dish is great with chicken, duck, turkey, pork or ham. Recipe from “More Vegetables, Please” by Janet Fletcher; makes 4 servings.
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds shredded green cabbage
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup finely minced green onions
1/2 teaspoon (or more) grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add cabbage; toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste, then cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until cabbage is wilted and begins to brown lightly, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in green onions and lemon zest; toss well. Stir in parsley just before serving.
Mixed cabbage salad with poached shrimp and hearts of palm
Another green-covered, great-titled cookbook, “Lettuce in Your Kitchen” by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby, led me to this wonderful multi-textured salad of crunchy cabbage, creamy avocado and hearts of palm, plus tender shrimp. Goes with just about any south-of-the-border tastes; I think corn muffins would be good here. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Dressing:
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced small
1 medium tomato, cored and diced small
1/2 small red onion, peeled and diced small
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 medium limes)
1 tablespoon minced fresh chile pepper
1/4 cup rough chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant (2 to 3 minutes)
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
Salad:
1 pound medium shrimp (16 to 20), shell on
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
10 ounce can hearts of palm, cut crosswise into thin circles
Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add shrimp and salt. Cook for 5 minutes; remove from heat and drain. When shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel, devein and slice them in half lengthwise; set aside. Place cabbages in a large bowl. Stir dressing well, pour over salad and toss to coat. Place on a large platter or individual plates, top with shrimp and hearts of palm, and serve.
Napa cabbage salad
When researching recipes for cabbage salads, the first book I turned to was “The Savory Way” by Deborah Madison. After all, not only is the book’s cover green, the author used to be the chef at Greens restaurant in San Francisco. Certainly there had to be a great cabbage recipe in there? I was not disappointed. This Asian-style cabbage salad uses aromatic Sichuan peppercorns; if you can’t find them, just leave them out. The fresh ginger, orange peel and sesame oil will provide plenty of aromatic stimulation. The book says to serve with grilled fish or prawns, but shredded cooked chicken would work, too; makes 4 to 6 servings.
1 head Napa cabbage, about a pound
1 tablespoon finely slivered orange zest
1 tablespoon each: black sesame seeds and white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons finely sliced chives or scallions
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Dressing (recipe follows)
Cut cabbage into quarters or eighths, then cut each piece into 1/2-inch strips. Wash, dry and set aside in refrigerator until needed. Blanch orange zest in boiling water for 10 seconds. Toast sesame seeds in a pan, stirring, until white ones begin to color. In serving bowl, combine cabbage, chives or scallions and cilantro; toss with the dressing, orange peel and sesame seeds. Serve.
Dressing:
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon red chili oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
Lightly toast peppercorns in a dry skillet until their aroma is released, about 10 to 20 seconds; grind them in an electric spice mill or a mortar and pestle. Combine peppercorns with remaining ingredients in dressing; whisk together. Taste and adjust flavors as needed.
Kimchee noodle salad with tofu
If you don’t even want to clean and cut a cabbage, here’s a recipe for you: buy prepared kimchee (pickled cabbage) in Asian markets (preferably the kimchee kept in refrigerated cases instead of the canned varieties). The noodles and tofu will temper the hot and sour of the cabbage. Add some leftover pork if you want more protein. Recipe from “Salad Suppers” by Andrea Chesman; makes 4 to 6 servings.
1 pound firm tofu
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 pound dried vermicelli
1/4 pound (1 cup) snow peas, trimmed
2 scallions, chopped
2 cups kimchee cabbage
Press tofu to remove excess liquid by wrapping it in a clean dish towel or paper towels, place on a plate and weight it with a cast iron skillet on top, and let stand for 30 minutes; drain. Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Dice pressed tofu. In a large salad bowl, combine 1 tablespoon sesame oil, the soy sauce and mirin. Add tofu; toss to coat; marinate about 30 minutes. Cook vermicelli in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender but firm. Rinse under cool water. Toss with remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Add noodles, snow peas and scallions to tofu. Toss well. Add kimchee; toss again. Add soy or salt as desired. Serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds.