Diary of a Cabbage
Everything I made with the latest head of Savoy I brought home from the store.
I have been a cabbage evangelist for years, singing the vegetable’s praises for its long life in the refrigerator, versatility, health benefits, and flavor.
It may not top everyone’s list of favorite foods, but it’s definitely one of mine. It inspired this newsletter’s name! I firmly believe that everyone can learn to love cabbage.
One of the main objections I hear about cabbage is that it’s too big of a commitment. Though cabbages range in size, most cabbages are two pounds or more. That can be an intimidating volume of greens, especially if you’re cooking for one or two. But even one person can easily use up a whole head without getting bored or letting any go to waste.
The most recent cabbage I bought was a beautiful head of Savoy. That’s the ruffly one. This one was on the small side. It weighed in at 1 pound and 13 ounces. It came into my life on July 22, and I finished using it up on August 1.
Welcome to Diary of a Cabbage:
July 24
At this point, the cabbage had been in my crisper for two days, untouched. I just put the head, unwrapped, right in the refrigerator after I brought it home from the store.
Cabbage keeps well like this for a couple of days. If you forget about it, you can still pull off any wilted leaves and move on.
This cabbage’s first use was to bulk up a salad. I had some farmers’ market lettuce to use up, and it wasn’t quite enough on its own. So I peeled three of the outermost leaves away and shredded them into the salad bowl.
After that, I stored the rest of the cabbage in a silicone Stasher bag—my favorite way to store cabbage.
July 25
I steamed half the remaining cabbage to serve with my favorite recipe for dan dan noodles:
Steamed cabbage couldn’t be easier:
Roughly chop the cabbage, peeling apart the layers
Fill a pot about a quarter inch deep with water, and set a steamer basket inside
Load the steamer basket with cabbage
Sprinkle cabbage with salt
Cover the pot, bring to a boil, and steam for 3 to 5 minutes
I make a lot of steamed cabbage. It’s so simple and good. Mix it with tofu and serve it over rice with some chili crisp for a quick and delicious meal. I love it alongside all types of noodle dishes. I made enough to have with the noodles and their leftovers.
July 29
I made a recipe from the fabulous cookbook Vietnamese Food Any Day by Andrea Nguyen. The dish was Lemongrass Tempeh Crumbles.
I shredded about 1 1/2 cups of cabbage and tossed it with a vegan nước chấm sauce I made based on the nonvegan recipe in Vietnamese Food Any Day.
I topped my tempeh crumbles and rice with the dressed cabbage.
August 1
I used up the last of my cabbage to make a side dish for whole wheat fusilli with arugula pesto and corn using my go-to cabbage preparation method: roasting or air-frying.
These high-heat methods char and crisp the edges of the leaves. The cabbage becomes unbelievably tender and sweet. It’s great anywhere you might serve other roasted cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower.
To make it, chop your cabbage, separating the leaves, and toss with the barest film of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Cook in an air fryer for about 12 minutes or arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan and cook in a 425-degree oven for about 15 minutes.
In either case, you’re looking for those dark brown edges and tender leaves.
These are just a few of the many ways I put a head of cabbage to work in the kitchen. If you found it helpful, let me know, and I’ll bring you Diary of a Cabbage Volume 2 sometime soon.
In the meantime, if you have a favorite way of cooking, serving, and enjoying cabbage, please chime in. We’re all looking for new ideas and inspiration.
Yes to a volume 2! I currently have 1.5 heads in the fridge from CSA, with surely more to come.
Thank you for giving cabbage its due. it's truly the gift that keeps on giving.