Cooking Fresh

CABBAGABy Carol J. Butler

WfTH DEscRtPTIVES such as basic,sturdy, and compact, cabbage may very well beconsidered the wallflower of vegetables.Purchased by the head and almost always hangingaround, choice cabbage has unblemished leavesmaking up hard, tightly packed spheres, theheavier the better. But as with so many things ofreal value, it's whatt inside that counts, and whenfall is upon us and cabbage is at its best, youmight find it worth your while to take a secondlook. A member of the cruciferous family,cabbage boasts almost twice the cancer-fightingphytonutrients compared to other vegetables,especially when not over-cooked. It contains somuch vitamin C that Dutch sailors once relied onthe fermented version, known as sauerkraut, tostave offscurvy. It was considered a cure-all by theGreeks and Romans, who ate it in large quanti-ties, and the pickled version known as bimchi iscurrently hailed as Koreat national dish.

Cabbage as we know it derives from a wildplant akin to kale, with leaves loosed and notshaped into a head. Napa and Celery Cabbagestay true to this heritage, slim and elongated inbody with mostly white, ruffled leaves. Othervarieties such as pah choi or bok choy, (choymeaning "greens" in Cantonese), are not alwaysconsidered "true" cabbage and are actually typesof Chinese chard. Red, green, and savoy are yourthree main types of head cabbage, with leavesranging from shiny and green to crinkly and white. The red varieties with their deep purple leaves offbr six to eight times morevitamin C and can be used interchangeably with green, but will discolor whatever they are cooked with. The compound antho-cyanin that gives it such an alluring hue can also change to an odd blue when cooked in water, so be sure to add a teaspoon ofsomething acidic, such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine. Even if you forget and add it afterwards, the agent will still usuallyrestore the original color. It just goes to show that even the humblest vegetable among us is capable of looking and tasting good,if given a bit of tender loving care.

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Do Slice: Chopping or slicing cabbage releases its anti-carcinogenic agents. To get the maximum health benefits, enjoyraw or allow the cabbage to rest 5-10 minutes after slicing before cooking, then stir-fry or steam lightly.

Dorlt Buy Shredded: The vitamin C content of this vegetable is greatly compromised if pre-shredded and stored for days,so it pays to buy fresh from your local growers and cut it to size yourself.

Do Buy Organic: As with any crucifer plants, cancer-fighting phytonutrient levels in cabbage are much higher in thoseorganically grown as compared to those not.

FALL 2O1O edible TWIN CITIES