A Cabbage Occasion

By Laura Kurella

In this day and age, we need to take every opportunity we can to celebrate life. Even when smaller holidays come around, like St. Patrick’s Day, we need to put a little effort in to turn the day into a bit of a celebration.

If you ask me, one of the best, and easiest ways to turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary one is to cook up a not-so-ordinary dish because we all know how a meal can make any day feel more special.

When I reflect on St. Patrick’s Day, I cannot help but think of all things cabbage because it happens to be old Ireland’s most traditional meal ingredient.

Possessing remarkable healing abilities, the Irish were smart to make it a stable, especially since the American Cancer Society notes that cabbage can help prevent certain cancers, such as esophagus, stomach, and colon cancer and, a chemical (isothiocyanates) found in cabbages may help lower the risk of lung cancer in smokers by as much as 38% as well.

The National Academy of Sciences agrees, stating that vegetables in the cabbage family are associated with a reduction of gastric, colon, and rectal cancers.

Fresh cabbage juice can reduce the distress of asthma, headaches, bronchitis, psoriasis, and cystitis, heal ulcers, and disinfect the colon and gargling with it will help to soothe a sore throat.

High in Vitamin C, amino acids, potassium, and magnesium and low in fat and calories, one cup of shredded raw green cabbage has just 18 calories and almost no fat.

When selecting cabbage, Mom taught me to pick them up and feel how heavy they were. She always wanted the heaviest ones because the weight was a sign of moisture, freshness, and density. Tight, compact heads that feel heavy for their size are ideal. Outer leaves should look crisp and fresh, with few loose leaves, and the stem end should appear firm, not limp, and not dried out or splitting, which is an indication of an older head.

Store whole cabbage heads in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, and when preparing, discard outer leaves, cut into quarters, then rinse well.

When cooking quarters, leave the core intact to prevent leaves from tearing. However, if you are shredding cabbage, be sure to core it first.

Here now are some classically-ethnic cabbage recipes from across the globe that come together to help unite us all in the joy that a good, home-cooked, comforting meal can bring to all of us.

Enjoy and…Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Laura Kurella is an award-win- ning recipe developer, food columnist and author who enjoys sharing recipes from her Great Lakes Region kitchen. She welcomes your comments at laurakurella@yahoo.com.

Old-Fashioned Golabki

12 cabbage leaves

1 pound ground beef

1 cup cooked rice

15 ounces tomato sauce, divided use

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 onion, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cover cabbage leaves with boiling water. Let stand until the leaves are limp. Drain. Mix beef, rice, onion, garlic, pepper and 1/2 the tomato sauce then put 1/3 cup of meat mixture in each leaf then roll, tucking in the sides. Place rolls, seam side down, in a baking dish. Mix remaining tomato sauce with 1/4 cup of water then pour over the rolls. Cover pan and bake for 45 minutes. Approximate servings per recipe: 4.

Creamed Cabbage Au Gratin

6 cups cabbage, shredded

1 cup carrot, shredded

2 green onions, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup half-and-half

2 eggs

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a medium-sized casserole dish and set aside. In a skillet over medium heat, cook cabbage, carrot, and onions in butter until crisp-tender. Transfer mixture to a buttered baking dish. In a bowl, combine half-and-half, eggs, parsley, and seasoning salt. Pour mixture over veggies then sprinkle with Swiss and Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes.

Approximate servings per recipe: 4.

Authentic (old-fashioned) Cabbage with Bacon

1 (12 ounce) package bacon

1/4 cup bacon drippings

1 small head cabbage, cored and finely chopped ground black pepper to taste

In a deep skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper towellined plate. Reserve 1/4 cup drippings in skillet. Cook and stir cabbage in hot bacon drippings over medium heat until cabbage wilts, 5 to 7 minutes. Crumble bacon over cabbage. Stir and simmer until bacon warms, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with black pepper. Approximate servings per recipe: 4 to 6.