Even if you don’t grow your own,
you’re likely to come across a glut
f rom time to time – f rom a
f riend’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.
C
abbages 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. »
Ser ved with oodles of
noodles (and anything
else you have in)
cabbage adds crunch
to a warming ramen