Tallgrass Kitchen:
Cabbage beats lettuce.
Late February feels grim. The sky is steely gray, the dog’s paws are always muddy and everyone is on edge because the sun has been hiding for too long.
And even if the weather warms, there’s a lingering threat of one last snowstorm.
Sometimes you can almost feel spring in the air, when the wind blows just the right way against your cheek — but then an icy blast from a different direction buffets you into submission.
It’s still February in Wisconsin, don’t forget it.
It’s the time of year when I have eaten so many winter squashes, potatoes and even rutabagas, that the thought of another root vegetable elicits a sad, guttural sigh. I’m tired of peeling things, but tender spring lettuces and spicy radishes feel so very far away.
I can hear it in people’s voices — the UPS driver, teachers, cashiers, my kids — everyone is ready for a change.
So I turn to the humble cabbage. It is the same color as iceberg lettuce, but with a thicker leaf — which doesn’t up the appetizing quotient much.
However, cabbage beats lettuce nutritionally with more fiber and vitamin C, an important nutrient to help ward off late-winter illnesses.
It’s also an extremely economical vegetable and makes regular appearances on Environmental Working Group’s “Clean 15” list of produce that has the lowest pesticide load, if you choose to not buy organic.
Cabbage stores well and is versatile. It’s the centerpiece of my 8year-old’s favorite meal, a fast weeknight saute of cabbage and ground pork over egg noodles.
Wedges turn sweet and golden when roasted, shredded cabbage is wonderful in soup, and don’t forget about cabbage rolls, a sweet-andsour cabbage leaf stuffed with meat and rice.
But to launch me out of my February doldrums, I need some crunch and intensity.
I use raw cabbage here (which softens beautifully in a vinegarbased dressing) as the primary vegetable in an Asian salad.
Mingled with carrots and topped with crunchy chopped peanuts and cilantro, it’s served with a dressing spiked with a bit of garlic, lime juice and fish sauce, poured over the top.
If you leave the cilantro and peanuts off until serving, the salad stores for several days.