Cabbage Gets Its Due

You may have noticed a little bit of a pattern in the past couple of posts, the ubiquity of cabbage and sweet potatoes.

The frequent use of sweet potatoes in my kitchen lately has been because of the stock that I gathered when they were on special before Christmas. Unlike the hard winter squashes and apples that are still enjoying the root cellar coolness of my garage, the sweet potatoes are clearly showing signs that they need to be used, soon.

The presence of cabbage in these last couple of dishes is not so seasonal. I have long loved this wonderful vegetable, especially in the days when my budget was really, really tight. It seems, though, that its reputation for being a thrifty cook's ingredient may have led some to ignore it. Well, that and the all too often mishandling that it has had over the years, when it has been boiled into a smelly, almost slimy side.

Today, just by coincidence, I found this article in the New York Times and wanted to share it with you all, especially if you were questioning trying these recipes just because of the cabbage.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/dining/12vege.html?ref=dining

Go ahead and try using cabbage, perhaps shredded to replace part of the lettuce in a salad or added to a soup or stew for some extra body and flavor. And then watch for sales in early March. Corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day usually brings out some really good prices for this great ingredient. It will keep in your refrigerator for several weeks, so go ahead and buy a couple of heads while the price is right.