In Which I Convince my Wife to Eat Cabbage

My wife has a favourite soup that is largely cabbage in content and she loves it, yet abjures the same vegetable served in pretty much any other way. This has resulted in the usual grocery store ceremony of finding a clerk to sell her a half a cabbage (once rather comically as she didn't check to see what they had and when the staff member showed up with the knife, the cabbages turned out to be about the size of a large potato....

I decided to try and change that taste preference for her and insisted that we buy a whole cabbage and that the second half wouldn't end up as compost but would be cooked by me.

I took the half cabbage and sliced it up in fat wedges leaving some stem in each slice to keep it together. I stuck them on the BBQ for about 10 minutes until they were showing black parts on each side, and the served the slices with a dressing of olive oil and vinegar with a fairly large amount of crisp bacon bits (I fried up maybe 1/4 pound). She loved it!

We are now a whole cabbage shopping family.

Ah, hence the declamation in the other thread.

Bravo bravo.

...and stay the hell away from me.

(Unless you have a terrine of non-cruciferous-vegetable origin, of course.)

Ackk - Brussels sprout terrine? I think not!

I don't avoid all cruciferous veg though - can tolerate bok choy and some broccoli, and cauliflower is so neutral that it is inoffensive. And love radishes - especially with a big 'V' cut out of them, filled with butter and well dusted with coarse salt!

I was thinking about doing a nice goat terrine this year, but Jenise claims to love the little critters and might have compunctions about eating them. We shall see.

I don't avoid all cruciferous veg though - can tolerate bok choy and some broccoli, and cauliflower is so neutral that it is inoffensive. And love radishes - especially with a big 'V' cut out of them, filled with butter and well dusted with coarse salt!

My tolerances run just about the same... bok choy, some broccoli, occasional radish. Cauliflower is hit or miss, I've seen stinky ones and bland ones. Cabbage per se is right out unless either buried in cole slaw dressing or beaten to death with red peppers in kimchi (and only sometimes).
The really odd one is Brussels sprouts. 99% noxious, but if completely fresh and sizzled up with enough bacon or chestnuts, it can pass. Maybe the sulfury smell accumulates with age of the plant?

I was thinking about doing a nice goat terrine this year, but Jenise claims to love the little critters and might have compunctions about eating them. We shall see.

So make one with lamb. Yeah, lamb. Lamb. That's it.

I am exactly the same on sprouts - put enough bacon with it and I can enjoy it. But while there may be some sprouts left when I finish, there sure won't be any bacon!

I was spoiled on cauliflower by the fact that my parents always served it the same way - drowned in stodgy thick cheddar cheese sauce. But I will give you my favourite cauliflower recipe:

Cauliflower, Pomegranate and Pistachio salad

Serves four

1 large cauliflower (800g)
1 medium onion, roughly sliced (130g)
80ml olive oil
25g parsley, roughly chopped
10g mint, roughly chopped
10g tarragon, roughly chopped
seeds from ½ medium pomegranate (80g)
40g pistachio kernels, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1½ tbsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.

Coarsely grate a third of the cauliflower and set aside in a bowl. Break the remaining cauliflower into florets, roughly 3cm wide, and add these to a separate bowl with the cauliflower leaves, if you have any, and onion. Toss everything together with 2 tablespoons of oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt, then spread out on a large parchment-lined baking tray. Roast for about 20 minutes, until cooked through and golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Once cool, put the roasted vegetables into a large bowl with the 50ml oil, the grated cauliflower and the remaining ingredients, along with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Toss gently, just to combine, then transfer to a platter and serve.

Thanks, Bill. Roasted Cauliflower with Red, White, and Green Rubble.

At my house I'd have to swap out the onion for an equivalent quantity of fennel; His Majesty does not eat onions. But I love pistachios!

Yes, I know people that don't like onion much. Unless it is well sauteed and converted to golden brown delight. It is like saying that you dislike garlic - but then nutty roasted garlic is a whole different ballgame.

On the cauliflower dish, I liked the two different textures of the raw and cooked and I had never used cauliflower leaves for anything before but it worked. The pomegranate adds little explosions of slightly sweet flavour and the crunchy pistachios - well, you know.

Yes, I know people that don't like onion much. Unless it is well sauteed and converted to golden brown delight. It is like saying that you dislike garlic - but then nutty roasted garlic is a whole different ballgame.

Exactly. You've met Pumpkin?

On the cauliflower dish, I liked the two different textures of the raw and cooked and I had never used cauliflower leaves for anything before but it worked. The pomegranate adds little explosions of slightly sweet flavour and the crunchy pistachios - well, you know.

I'm copying the recipe out right now.

Have you ever swapped, say, craisins for the pomegranate seeds and pine nuts for the pistachios?

Roasted cauliflower seems so easy to love, so mild nutty and toasty.

We're big fans of red cabbage all winter long. Crunchy in a raw slaw/salad or sauteed to sweet sticky intensity. And such great color.

I rarely buy any other kinds of cabbage.

We're big fans of red cabbage all winter long. Crunchy in a raw slaw/salad or sauteed to sweet sticky intensity. A

With some dried red currants added etc., the red is great sauteed. Or some nutmeg, cinnamon, a bare hint of cloves. Or simply, maybe with a bit of cider vinegar. Thought I'd try and convert her with white first, though, as she uses it all the time to make her favourite soup.

What I can't figure out is her willingness to eat Brussels sprouts while I avoid them when possible or submerge them with bacon when not.

What I can't figure out is her willingness to eat Brussels sprouts while I avoid them when possible or submerge them with bacon when not.

Texture?

I'll have to ask here that. She has approved a trail of red cabbage though, so we shall see. Anyone got a killer red cabbage recipe up their sleeve?

I'll have to ask here that. She has approved a trail of red cabbage though, so we shall see. Anyone got a killer red cabbage recipe up their sleeve?

See the Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage recipe I just posted.

[Jenise]

Maybe the sulfury smell accumulates with age of the plant?

YES, oh yes. Freshness is an imperative.

I, of course, love all things cruciferous. Cabbage blackens beautifully, as you've discovered; and cabbage is fantastic sauteed til limp with olive oil and garlic. I'll bet Suz would like that too.

limp with olive oil and garlic. I'll bet Suz would like that too.

Hmmm.....

We're big fans of red cabbage all winter long. Crunchy in a raw slaw/salad or sauteed to sweet sticky intensity. A

With some dried red currants added etc., the red is great sauteed. Or some nutmeg, cinnamon, a bare hint of cloves. Or simply, maybe with a bit of cider vinegar..

Currants sound interesting.

I take it in various directions depending on what is at hand. Cider vinegar is common. But lots of other vinegars as well. Soy sauce is a common addition. Some combination of garlic/ginger/turmeric also good. Herbs on the finish. Lots of ways to go.

I used to hate all cruciferous vegetables as a kid. Brussels sprouts were the worst--all the obnoxious character of a whole head of cabbage in a package just big enough that you need to bite it at least once before swallowing. Then, when I was cooking for myself as an adult, I picked up a head of broccoli in the grocery store and was startled that it was firm rather than limp. My problem with Brassicae was that my mother, in 1950s American tradition, cooked the life out of them, and that's when the revolting texture, smell, and flavor came to the fore. I found that, when properly prepared, I actually like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. And even Brussels sprouts.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Paul, so many share your story. I guess my mom didn't overcook them because I grew up loving everything in that group, though probably cauliflower less than the others. I would often cook a frozen box of broccoli for my personal meal (when I wouldn't eat what everyone else was eating. Yes, I was THAT child--drove my dad nuts but mom would always point out the health factor of the foods I preferred, so I got away with it.)