Suspiciously Delicious Cabbage
An airy ingredient shot: onion, cabbage, ginger, garlic, butter and cream.
First job: slicing the cabbage.
Amanda's recommendation: Quarter the cabbage, core it and then slice each quarter crosswise, rather than lengthwise, into strips. This way, you end up with perfect bite-size lengths.
Scraping the papery skin off fresh ginger with a spoon -- great trick!
If you have a microplane, now's its time to shine.
Another kitchen view. Note the Crocs.
It looks like a lot of cabbage, and you'll need the largest Dutch oven you have for this, but it cooks way down.
Never mind the dark bits on the sides of the pan -- it's not dirty, just well-loved!
Onion and garlic go in first.
What's the saying? Watched onions never soften?
Then we added a heaping tablespoon of ginger.
Maybe because we were feeling all Rachael Ray, we grabbed the sliced cabbage in large handfuls and carried it across the kitchen to the pan, rather than transferring it in a bowl.
The bowl might have been a good idea.
In about 5 minutes, the cabbage that had initially filled the pot had cooked down to this.
Lovely brown bits. Don't be afraid of cranking the heat a little to really caramelize the cabbage -- you'll be glad you did.
A "dash" of cream finished it all off.
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Author Notes: I cook a lot of cabbage during the winter months - there aren't too many other options for greens if you're trying hard to go with local produce! Most often I cook traditional recipes I learned from my mom, but you've got to switch it up sometimes. This was an experiment based very, very loosely off of a kale recipe I was intrigued by (though looking back at the kale recipe now, it's actually totally different, oh well). When we were eating it with dinner my husband exclaimed, "what did you put in this cabbage?! It's suspiciously delicious. Is it actually meat or something?" No meat involved though. The cream picks up the browned bits from browning the cabbage as though it were the base for a gravy. It also mellows out the spicy ginger so everything practically melts together. It makes a delicious cold weather side dish, and I bet it would also be lovely tossed with pasta. - fiveandspice - fiveandspice
Food52 Review: With a recipe title like this one, expectations are bound to be high. Happily, this cabbage is both refined and undeniably delicious -- it's the kind of dish that inspires you to keep sneaking forkfuls long past the end of the meal. Fiveandspice has you caramelize the crisp cabbage strands in butter that's been infused with onion, garlic and the key ingredient, fresh ginger. When the cabbage is tender and flecked with tasty brown bits, you add some cream and simmer just long enough for the flavors to meld. -A&M - A&M
Serves 4-6
- 1 medium green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon (heaping) grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cups heavy cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- In a very large pan, heat the butter over medium heat until it is melted and starting to bubble a little. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the ginger and cook for about a minute. Then, add in the cabbage, stirring well to coat it with the butter and other flavors. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes, until the cabbage has softened and caramelized.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the cream making sure to scrape any browned bits up from the pan bottom. Cover and cook over low for about 10 minutes. Uncover, add salt and pepper to taste. Then cook for a few more minutes, stirring once or twice, to let some of the liquid evaporate. Adjust seasonings as desired and serve.
- Your Best Vegetarian Holiday Side Contest Finalist!
Tags: cabbage, cream, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
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about 1 month ago tota
For Texas chicki--I learned a trick for grating ginger from a local chef.Keep knobs of clean ginger in freezer,wrapped in foil and then when you want to use,a spoon easily scrapes peel away and its easy to grate.
about 1 month ago DragonFly
Best cabbage I have ever had! I put half the amount of cream and butter and it was still perfect. Thank you
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Fabulous! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
about 1 month ago Texas chicki
I cant peel ginger very well either. I use a grapefruit spoon and it works much better than a spoon.
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
That's a great tip!
about 1 month ago DragonFly
I have a nice organic head of cabbage that I did not know what to do with , now I know! I will be adding the butter and cream!
Sounds delicious!
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Awesome!
2 months ago watercupcake
Tried this today. We had leftover corned beef from St Patty's day and I was going to serve it with sliced corned beef. ( with just my husband and I now we usually have lots of leftovers) However when I tasted the cabbage as it was nearly finished, I thought the two of them would be very good together. I cubed the corned beef and added it to the cooked cabbage and it was a wonderful meal. The ginger in the cabbage went very well with the highly seasoned beef. I have a new one-pot meal and a really good way to use up corned beef.
2 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Mmmmm, that sounds fantastic! You make me wish I had made some corned beef for St. Patty's day. Thank goodness there's next year!
about 1 month ago watercupcake
Made this again the other night with leftover cubed Easter ham. Totally delish!
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Nice! Love it.
3 months ago Happy in the kitchen
I love this recipe. I make it without butter and cream and add anchovies. It is remarkable!
3 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Awesome! Love the 'chovie addition.
3 months ago EmilyC
I'm re-commenting because I made this again last night and I was reminded of how ridiculously good it is! It's so forgiving too...I neglected my pan on the stove, sure I had browned the cabbage too far, but of course heavy cream came to the rescue. Those creamy browned bits are addictive.
3 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
:)
3 months ago nanciesue
Loved this recipe. My favorite kind--so easy and so tasty. Thank you!
3 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks!!
3 months ago shofielen
I have been making this recipe since I first read it a few weeks ago. Never knowing what to do with cabbage this hit the spot. As a vegan I replaced the cream with Oat cream - delish. And forgo the butter and oil by simpling letting the onions cook without anything and then slowly adding a bit of water (or bouillon) to prevent it from sticking. Tastes fine and you avoid unnecessary calories. Thank you for enlightening me to the wonders of cabbage.
3 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Sounds great! I like the onion cooking trick.
3 months ago megken
Great recipe. Didn't add cream because I was out and it was delicious anyways.
3 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Great!
4 months ago Kitchen Butterfly
Making this right now - very much looking forward to it. All the sneak peeks let me know it'll be worth it. Love the ginger the most!
4 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks KB! I think the ginger is my favorite part as well!
4 months ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I made this again last night - the coconut milk edtion - I cant stop eating this cabbage - who ever thought they would say THAT? I got a cabbage as big as a basketball in my CSA this week so it is going to be suspiciously delicious around here for awhile.
4 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Life is good when you can make it suspiciously delicious. (Happy sigh.) :)
4 months ago kristina.israel
I made this last night and was so pleased with the result! The cabbage had a lip-coating butteriness, due to the cream, that was completely irresistible. I may never cook cabbage the "old way" again!
4 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks for letting me know!
4 months ago BraisedCabbage
This was a fantastic side for latkes. Definitely going into regular rotation. Thank you!
4 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Yippee! So glad. Especially given your screen name, hehe.
4 months ago makan
I've also add chopped anchovies while cooking the aromatics and it's lovely!
4 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Anchovies are very nearly always a good idea!
5 months ago Literary Equivalent
I made this for New Year's, and it was a pretty big hit at the dinner party we went to, despite its olive-drabbish low profile. The hostess kept sneaking another spoonful long after she said she was done with dinner.
I found that I really didn't need as much cream as the recipe calls for for my smallish-I-guess cabbage - trust your instincts. You want to moisten it well, not to overdress it.
5 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Good call! I think a cook always needs to trust their instincts, and their own taste! We all simply have slightly different taste preferences and should let that guide us.
9 months ago meganvt01
Finally made this and it is yet another fantastic fiveandspice recipe! I'd say you are my all time favorite f52 cook. I only had 2% so I thickened that with a little roux. Amazing!
9 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Oh wow, thanks Megan! You're one of my faves too! :)
10 months ago JenJack
This was fantastic on top of an open faced pulled pork sandwich! Couldn't be simpler! I made it with cabbage harvested from our garden. Thank you so much for the recipe
10 months ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Oh yum! I absolutely love the idea of serving this with pulled pork. Mmmm.
about 1 year ago Crispini
I made this last night to serve alongside roast chicken- supremely delicious comfort food for a cold, damp April evening. I love how the combination of these few common ingredients and a simple technique transform into a cabbage dish unlike any I've made before. I'm a big fan of cabbage and this recipe will be a keeper for me!
about 1 year ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Your dinner sounds divine! And perfect in a chilly April. I'm so happy you enjoyed it so much.
about 1 year ago Emily
I only had whole milk (and a bit of half and half) and it still turned out delicious!! Also, I brought the leftovers to work with me the next day and it was still delicious!
about 1 year ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Wonderful! I'm glad you liked it.