Clearing out the refrigerator after my guests departed, I found some lovely things to try, various cheeses, a carton of goat’s milk, strawberry jam with no sugar and—oh no!—a whole red cabbage!
I eat red cabbage maybe once every three or four years, when I have some venison or boar meat that seems to require its presence. I like it ok, but I’d rather eat regular cabbage or Savoy cabbage or Chinese cabbage, all which are more versatile than red cabbage.
But I’m sure not going to throw it out, so here are a couple ways that I prepared this colorful cruciferous vegetable (col lombarda in Spanish). Besides game meats, red cabbage goes especially well with fatty meats such as pork, sausages, duck, goose and salmon. It is a traditional side dish for the family Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) dinner.
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| Good side dish with pork chops--red cabbage with apples and crisp-fried ibérico tocino (fat). |
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| Crispy pork fat or bacon makes a good garnish for the cabbage. |
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| Stir-fry with pork, red cabbage and lots of ginger. |
Red Cabbage with Apples
Col Lombarda con Manzanas
Red cabbage needs something acidic in order to keep its vibrant purple-red color. Cooked in salt water alone, it turns an unappetizing blue. Wine, vinegar, lemon or orange juice serve the purpose of acidification. A chopped sweet apple balances the tang.
In the photo, same red cabbage, same water. The serving on the right cooked in plain salt water has turned blue! Nice color for a sweater, but not on the dinner plate! The one on the left with a squirt of vinegar added to the cooking water has kept its violet hue.
The cabbage can be cooked with panceta, bacon, fatty ham (serrano or ibérico) or tocino (salt-cured pork fat). I just happened to have a packet of ibérico tocino, so I used some of that with diced serrano ham. Panceta is streaky fat and lean pork belly, fresh or salt-cured. Tocino (also called lardo), is solid fat, usually sold in blocks.
Serves 6 as a side dish.
1 ½ pounds red cabbage (approx. ½ cabbage)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces tocino, ham or bacon, diced or cut in strips
2 cloves garlic, sliced
¾ cup chopped leeks or onions
Pinch of cumin seeds
¼ cup red wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of allspice or cloves
½ cup diced apple
Slice the cabbage crosswise into shreds.
Heat the oil in a pan deep enough to hold the cabbage. Add the diced tocino or bacon and fry until crisped. Remove the pan from the heat, tip it so the fat runs to one side and skim out the tocino and reserve it.
Return the pan to the heat and add the sliced garlic. When it begins to turn golden, add the leeks. Sauté them on medium-low heat until softened, without letting them brown. Stir in the cumin. Add the shredded cabbage and stir in the oil for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook off the alcohol, 1 minute. Add the vinegar, water, salt to taste, pepper and allspice. Cook, covered,15 minutes. Add the apple and cook until cabbage is done to your tastes, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Remove to a serving bowl and top with the reserved tocino, bacon or ham.
Stir-Fry with Red Cabbage
Salteado Estilo Chino con Col Lombarda
If you use olive oil for a stir-fry, moderate the temperature so the oil doesn't smoke. Sunflower oil is better suited for high-temp frying. Frying and soy sauce will darken the color of red cabbage. Use rice vinegar so it keeps it's violet hue.
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| Ginger is perfect with cabbage. |
Pork cutlets
Soy sauce
Cornstarch
Vegetable oil for frying
Ginger, minced
Garlic, minced
Red cabbage, shredded
Onions, sliced julienne
Bok choy, sliced
Celery, sliced
Rice vinegar
Snow peas
Chicken stock or water
Noodles or rice to serve
Peanuts
Sliced scallions
Cilantro
Cut the pork in thin strips. Place them in a bowl and add soy sauce and cornstarch. Let stand 30 minutes.
Heat the oil on high and fry the strips of pork until browned. Remove them from the pan. Fry the ginger and garlic 30 seconds. Add cabbage, onions, bok choy and celery. Add vinegar. Lower heat to moderate and stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the strips of pork and snow peas. Add stock to the bowl and mix with any remaining soy and cornstarch. Stir into the pan and cook until lightly thickened.
Serve the pork and vegetables with noodles or rice. Garnish with peanuts, scallions and cilantro.
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