ONLINE EXTRA — CABBAGE CUISINE: Cabbage Soup . . . Romanian Cabbage Soup with Bacon . . . Cabbage With Lentils, etc.

Cabbage Soup

6 softball-size green onions or 10 medium sized ones

2 large green bell peppers

1 to 2 standard size of tomatoes

3 carrots

1 10-ounce can of mushrooms

1 celery bunch

Half of a cabbage head

1 package “Lipton soup mix”

1 to 2 bouillon cubes (optional)

Salt and pepper, curry, parsley, garlic powder, curry, etc. for added flavor

Chop green onions. Place the sliced onions in a saucepan and sauté the onions adding a little bit of cooking oil spray.

Prepare the green peppers by taking out the seeds and membrane. Chop the green pepper into small bite-sized cubes then throw them in to the saucepan together with the sautéed onions.

Peel off the outside layers off the cabbage and cut the leaves into pieces roughly the same size as the peppers, then add them to continue sautéing.

Clean the carrots. Peel and chop them and add them to the saucepan also.

Keep the mushrooms a good size, you can cut them in halves or thirds before throwing them in to the saucepan too.

Cayenne pepper or a little bit of curry powder can be added to the brew to give it a little kick. That is, if you want you soup to be a little spicy.

The bullion cubes can be used to add flavor to the dish. If you do choose to add this to your cooking, it eliminates the need for additional salt.

Add about 12 cups of water and pour inside the pot. Turn the heat to low and let the soup simmer. A two hour period is recommended to make the soup most effective. Add additional salt and pepper for taste.

Romanian Cabbage Soup with Bacon

8 sliced bacon

2 onions, sliced

2 green peppers, hulled and chopped

1 cabbage, cut into slices

Salt and pepper

Several sprigs of dill and savory, chopped

1½ quarts water

2 egg yolks

½ heavy cream (sweet or sour)

1 tablespoon vinegar

Chop up one slice of bacon, and fry it in a heavy stew pan until the fat runs. Fry the onions in the fat until they are golden. Add the peppers and fry them, too. Remove the stew pan from the heat. Layer the cabbage and the rest of the bacon into the soup pot. Season between the layers with salt, pepper and the herbs.

Pour the water over it all and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer the soup for 40 to 50 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove the soup from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks with the cream and the vinegar in a little bowl. Stir in a ladleful of the hot soup. Whisk well and pour the mixture back into the soup to thicken and enrich it.

Serve in deep bowls accompanied with fresh bread.

Cabbage With Lentils

1 green cabbage (chopped)

1 large onion (chopped)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 cup of fresh parsley (chopped)

1 cup of fresh basil (chopped)

1 can of diced tomatoes (blended)

1 can of lentils (rinsed and drained)

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 teaspoon of chili peppers or cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt and pepper (for taste)

In a large pot, pour a bit of olive oil and turn heat to medium-high. Add chopped onion, garlic, parsley, chili peppers, oregano. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add chopped cabbage to the pot and stir well so the cabbage is well-mixed with above ingredients. Continue to saute for about 5 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes and chopped basil to the mix, stir well, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 40 minutes.

Once the cabbage is cooked, add the canned lentils, stir well and set aside until ready to serve. Because the lentils are canned, they don’t need to cook, so adding them at the end with the cooked cabbage is important from preventing them to become soggy.

Meat and Cabbage

FILLING:

1 head of cabbage (small to medium)

1 onion (medium)

4 large eggs (hard boiled)

1 pound ground beef

Salt

Other spices

CRUST:

2½ cups of flour

1 teaspoon of sugar (regular or powdered)

1 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of solid vegetable shortening or ½ cup of vegetable shortening and 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter or 1 cup of unsalted butter

½ cup of ice cold water

Finely cut the cabbage and onion; heat up a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil; when it is hot add chopped onion; saute the onion until golden brown; then add cabbage and cook on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden in color and soft in consistency. Simultaneously, in a separate skillet, saute the ground beef; cook it for 5 to 10 minutes or until the meat is of consistent brown color and there is no redness. Boil the eggs. When everything is ready, mix the cabbage, meat, and chopped eggs together; add salt and/or other spices.

If you are making your own dough:

In a large bowl thoroughly mix together flour, salt and sugar. Then, add shortening (broken in large chunks) or butter (cut into small pieces). Begin chopping the fat/butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives. When you are done, the mixture should be of coarse consistency; dry and powdery. Then drizzle over the mixture 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of ice-cold water. Begin mixing the dough with a spatula until the mixture looks evenly moistened and begins to form small balls. Press down on the dough with the flat side spatula. If the balls of dough stick together, you have added enough water; if not, drizzle the dough with 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water. Continue to mix the dough first with the spatula, then with your hands until it coheres. The dough should look rough, not smooth. Divide the dough in half; press each half into a round flat disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling. The dough can be frozen for up to 6 month in an airtight packaging (Thaw completely before rolling).

When your dough is ready to roll, roll out 2 9-inch rounds. Place one crust on the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan; press the dough over the bottom and into the corners of the pan. Transfer the filling into the pan; smoothen the top. Place the second crust on top and seal the sides. The dough should not hang over the sides of the pan too much, otherwise it will char; you can either cut the excess dough with a knife or fold it inside the pan. Before baking, cut 4 ventilation holes on the top crust of your pie. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden. When done, let the pie sit out for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Thai Cabbage Salad

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

4 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage

½ small red onion, sliced thin

½ cup grated carrot

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In a bowl, stir together lemon juice, sugar, salt, sesame oil, rice vinegar until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Add cabbage, onion, carrot, mint, coriander and the oil, and toss the salad well.

Lithuanian Cabbage Rolls

1 head cabbage

1 cup cooked rice

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped celery

½ cup finely chopped bell pepper

1 cup tomato puree

1 cup beef stock

First of all mix the beef, rice and all the vegetables. Beat the egg and add it to the mixture. Make sure that all the ingredients get mixed thoroughly.

Make small portions or dollops of this meat mixture, which you can transfer comfortably into the cabbage covers.

For the covering, take the head cabbage and parboil it in salt water. Cook the leaves for a short time and drain the water.

Allow the cabbage to cool after you have drained the water from it, and then slowly separate the cabbage leaves from the core.

Now that the cabbage and the filling is ready, simply add dollops of the filling on cabbage leaves, fold the leaves and fasten with a toothpick. You can even tie the rolls with a thread if you don’t want to use toothpicks.

Place the rolls in the baking dish and pour the tomato puree and the beef stock on the rolls.

Cover the baking dish with a foil and place it in the oven. Bake it for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove the foil of the baking dish and bake again for 25 to 30 minutes and serve the hot cabbage rolls.

Cabbage Thoran

3 cups chopped cabbage

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

2 or 3 green chilies

½ cup fresh coconut

3 cloves garlic

1 small onion (optional)

1 teaspoon urad dal

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon oil

Salt to taste

Chop the onion. Heat the oil on medium heat and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the urad dal and curry leaves. Then add the onions and saute until browned. Add the cabbage, turmeric powder and salt. Stir for a while, lower the heat and cook covered for 5 minutes. Crush the garlic and cumin seeds and add to the cabbage along with the green chilies and the coconut. Stir for a few more minutes and remove from heat.

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