CABBAGE

A HEAD OF CABBAGE IS BEAUTIFUL, like a wrapped, hefty globe. In cold weather, it is extremely hardy and keeps for months. The centerpiece of the humble cruciferous or brassica family, cabbage is one of the oldest vegetables, an ancestral food that has long been preserved as a staple over long winters and voyages. I love to see a cabbage still sitting in the field after an early snow. I get inspired to use the entire thing.

Asian cabbages, such as bok choy and napa cabbage, are prized for their thick, crunchy, and mild stems, and are great stir-fried in a hot wok. More leafy cabbages, such as mizuna and tatsoi, are also available, and since they do not grow as head cabbages do, there is no core to waste—although they do start to wilt, as leafy greens do.

The parts of the cabbage that are most often discarded are its inner and outermost parts. The bleached center that has not seen the sun is actually quite tender and edible, while the exterior leaves, which are subject to the elements and insect holes, are sweet and mild when cooked.

 

CABBAGE STEM SALAD WITH BUTTERMILK-HORSERADISH DRESSING

SERVES 4 / TIME: 15 MIN

This raw salad is easy to compose. I like to arrange the stems into a beautiful pinwheel shape. For a more filling dish, I serve it atop an 8- to 10-ounce bycatch fish filet, such as sea robin, with additional dressing puddled around it. (For more about bycatch, see Who’s the Boss, here.)

2 cabbage stems (cauliflower stems also work), lightly trimmed of any extremely fibrous outer peel (reserve for Vegetable Scrap & Peel Stock, here)

1 cup Buttermilk-Horseradish Dressing (here)

1 teaspoon freshly grated horseradish

Salt and fresh cracked pepper

½ lemon

Using a mandoline, very thinly shave the trimmed cabbage stems lengthwise.

Toss the stem shavings with dressing. Finish with freshly grated horseradish, salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.

TESTER’S NOTE:

The cabbage and cauliflower stems were shaved so thin, it was like shaved Parmesan, only mild and sweet. I didn’t have the fish, so it made a delicious vegetarian dish.