Today, tomorrow, to keep: cabbages
LIA LEENDERTZ ENJOYS A SEASONAL CROP WITH A TRIO OF RECIPES FOR NOW AND LATER. THIS MONTH: CABBAGES
Even if you don’t grow your own, you’re likely to come across a glut from time to time – from a friend’s allotment, perhaps, in your weekly veg box, or at a stall at the farmers’ market. Finding varied ways to eat and store this seasonal bounty is satisfying to mind, appetite and pantry. Spend a few hours with your glut and make a dish to eat right away, another for the next day, and a little something for the larder as a future treat.
Cabbages are never really out of season. If you’re a nifty grower, you could have them all year – sowing spring varieties in summer, summer cabbages in late winter, and winter ones in spring. And if not, there are plenty of growers out there who are, making them available year round. Cabbages get a bad press, partly because they are always there, never elusive or unattainable, but also because they’ve been treated badly, served boiled and plain, which will do nothing to bring out their best qualities. When they are to be eaten as a side dish, the trick is to add fat – ideally butter. Shredded savoy sautéed in butter, salt and pepper until collapsed and lightly caramelised is an entirely different beast to bland, watery school-dinners-style offerings. It’s also brilliantly versatile: eat it raw in a coleslaw or dropped into a bowl of ramen; use its large leaves to wrap fillings; or transform it into piquant sauerkraut. Just maybe don’t boil it for half an hour and serve it with spuds and chops. »