Cabbage

[Larry1]

If you've traveled to FSU you have probably eaten cabbage dishes. Everyone has borsch with cabbage but here are two more cabbage dishes.

Schi: An expression of the Russian love for cabbage

January 16, 2015 Anna Kharzeeva, special to RBTH 

While not the most exciting food, this soup can be made in a thousand different ways with whatever is on hand.

I think it’s no secret to anyone that we love our cabbage in Russia. Not necessarily by choice. I mean, it’s not like we had a nice spread of vegetables to choose from growing in the Russian soil. Many Russian dishes feature cabbage, and soup is no exception. Schi, or cabbage soup, is probably the second most popular soup in Russia after borsch, although it is a lot less exciting.

I grew up with Granny’s schi, which consisted of cabbage and broth, with the occasional addition of meat. She would serve it with some homemade croutons which, to be honest, were the most exciting part of it. I was a little bit surprised to read that the recipe in the Book also includes potatoes, tomatoes and carrots.

Just as well it did, too, because I had my Australian in-laws to test it on, and I didn’t think they would be terribly excited by the idea of having boiled cabbage and broth for dinner. The quality of produce in Australia, where I went for a holiday visit, is very high and as a result the soup turned out nicely and was well received. At least my in-laws said they enjoyed it, and I’m just going to believe they were sincere.

I know foreigners have a limit on just how Russian they are willing to go with their meals. I wouldn’t try the layered mayonnaise and fish salad known as herring-under-a-fur-coat on the Australians because, well, they could just put me on the next flight home. When I cook for them, I have to pick the right meals and not overdo it on the “Russianness.”

As it turns out, my grandmother did the same for my brother and me. When she made us regular schi, she also made pickled cabbage schi – just for herself. She would then ask us with a cheeky smile: “I don’t suppose you would like some sour schi?” We would exaggerate just how put off we were by the idea of it, and that would give Granny great satisfaction. She loves the idea that her Russian limit is much higher than ours.

She learned about sour schi from her neighbor in the communal apartment, who would lure her in saying: “I bet your mom doesn’t cook this for you.” I am positive that Granny, known to have been a very picky eater as a child, grew fond of the soup partly so her mother’s job feeding her wouldn’t become any easier. The neighbor was a “simple” woman from a village and brought the recipe with her when she moved to Moscow. To create the Soviet Union’s society of equals, former nobles were housed under the same roof with farmers, writers and government employees. Recipe sharing flourished – made a lot easier (and kind of necessary) in the set-up of a communal kitchen.

Often when I ask Granny whether she knows a certain dish or recipe, she will say: “We never made it, but our flatmate such and such made it a lot – she was from Kazakhstan/Latvia/somewhere else.” There were also always stories of my great-grandmother teaching the neighbors to make Jewish challah and how they never, never could get it right and suspected great-granny of holding back on a crucial part of the recipe...

http://rbth.com/arts/2015/01/16/schi_an_expression_of_the_russian_love_for_cabbage_42941.html

You can find the recipe at the link.

There is also Russian sauerkraut:

I seem to be the first female in the family who can’t make sour cabbage. My great great-grandmother apparently made it all the time. I remembered the story she told me about one occasion in her late teens: “During the civil war, which lasted several years after the revolution, we lived in Kiev and the government changed eight times in a very short space of time. My family (parents and 6 siblings) had guests over – imagine how many people there were with each of us bringing a friend or two! We were playing games and missed the curfew, which meant everyone had to stay overnight. My mother was terrified as there was no food in the house. So my friend and I went to the basement and got some potatoes, some sour cabbage, pickles and pickled tomatoes out of wooden barrels, and set a beautiful table with just the four types of food. We still had beautiful plates and cutlery, so it looked very formal. I went into the living room and said ‘I’d like to invite everyone to the dining room.’ My mother looked terrified, as she knew there was no food in the house. Everyone was stunned at the dinner we’d scraped together.”

My great-grandmother would tell that story at almost every dinner. I always liked the idea of a fun atmosphere of so many young people playing games together, eating a simple dinner, then playing again until the curfew was lifted in the morning and they could go home. Pickles really can make any meal better, even during a civil war.

http://rbth.com/arts/2014/11/14/sour_cabbage_a_necessity_for_the_russian_cook_41409.html

Do you like cabbage?

[mendeleyev]

 Cabbage Rolls BAKED
   
12 cabbage leaves
 1 pound ground beef
 3/4 cup cooked rice
 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
 2 cloves garlic, minced
 1 egg
 2 teaspoons salt
 1 teaspoon pepper
 1/2 cup milk
 
 Sauce:
 1 cans (8 ounces ) tomato sauce
 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
 3 tablespoons sugar replacement
 2 tablespoons vinegar
 1/2 cup water
 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
 
 Drop cabbage leaves into boiling salted water; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain well. Combine ground beef, rice, onion, egg, and salt, pepper, and milk. Mix well and divide into 12 portions.
 Place a portion into the center of each cabbage leaf. Roll leaf around filling; fasten with toothpick. Place in a baking dish.
 
 For sauce, combine tomato sauce, tomatoes, sugar substitution, vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water and pour over cabbage rolls. Bake covered in a preheated 350 degree oven 40 to 45 minutes. Remove rolls and discard toothpicks.
Place pan with juices over medium heat and stir cornstarch and water mixture into the sauce; bring to a boil and cook and whisk until thickened. Pour thickened sauce over cabbage rolls or serve on the side.
 

[Steamer]

Mende, I can always tell a good recipe by the simplicity of the ingredients. Bravo. I will try this soon.

[Steamer]

If you've traveled to FSU you have probably eaten cabbage dishes. Everyone has borsch with cabbage but here are two more cabbage dishes.

http://rbth.com/arts/2015/01/16/schi_an_expression_of_the_russian_love_for_cabbage_42941.html

You can find the recipe at the link.

There is also Russian sauerkraut:

http://rbth.com/arts/2014/11/14/sour_cabbage_a_necessity_for_the_russian_cook_41409.html

Do you like cabbage?

I love cabbage but I have a difficult time with Russian versions of it. Borscht is great but my wife likes to fry cabbage with a lot of salt, yech. I enjoy it boiled with some garlic but she will not come near it.

[Anotherkiwi]

Bake covered in a preheated 350 degree oven 40 to 45 minutes.

That seems awfully hot, and my oven doesn't even go that high!    Are you using Celsius or Fahrenheit temperatures?

[Larry1]

That seems awfully hot, and my oven doesn't even go that high!    Are you using Celsius or Fahrenheit temperatures?

It's Fahrenheit, with a medium heat oven temperature. I think that's 177 C.

[Doll]

I think 350 F will be too low, if you use Celsius then it should be about 190.
I love голубцы, but cooked them only once here- for my MIL.

[mendeleyev]

Here is another cabbage recipe. We tried it last winter after seeing it on vk. Very good, and easier as you don't have to make the cabbage into rolls.

Cabbage Rolls - Unstuffed 

Ingredients:
 Add lean ground beef as desired
 1 tablespoon oil  ст. л.
 1 large onion, chopped
 1 clove garlic, minced
 1 small cabbage, chopped
 450 g diced tomatoes
 225 g tomato sauce
 1/2 cup water
 Season to taste with ground black pepper and sea salt
 
 Preparation:
 In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
 
 Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.
 

Serves 6 to 8
 

[Larry1]

Here is another cabbage recipe. We tried it last winter after seeing it on vk. Very good, and easier as you don't have to make the cabbage into rolls.

Deconstructed cabbage rolls. I like it. A lot of FSU dishes are extremely time-consuming to prepare. I love vareniki and pelmeni but I'll never make them for this reason.

I should plug the FSU cooking blog Natasha's Kitchen:

http://natashaskitchen.com

I love cabbage but I have a difficult time with Russian versions of it. Borscht is great but my wife likes to fry cabbage with a lot of salt, yech. I enjoy it boiled with some garlic but she will not come near it.

I've tried to replicate a cabbage dish I had at the Compuware cafeteria (I know, one doesn't usually associate cafeterias with good food). I've never quite gotten it right, but cook several slices of bacon, rendering their fat, then slice a head of red cabbage and fry it in the bacon fat for a few minutes, then add chicken broth and apple cider vinegar and salt* & pepper, cover the pan, and braise it for half an hour.

*Don't go crazy with the salt, because the bacon is salty. You can always add more salt if necessary but you can't take it out of the dish.

[JayH]

Hey--recipes!!  How long before PBR arrives here?

[jone]

Hey--recipes!!  How long before PBR arrives here?

Who cares about PBR.  Or does he know how to make Birthday Cakes?

[Faux Pas]

Rednecks, white socks and blue ribbon beer

[jone]

For those who appreciate the paths we travel:  Jay turned a year younger today. 

[ML]

Unfortunately, many people (outside of FSU folks) including myself cannot eat cabbage.  It is notorious for causing gas bloating within the stomach with ensuing tremendous pain.

Some of these recipes might be susceptible to substituting grape leaves for cabbage leaves.

[Larry1]

Unfortunately, many people (outside of FSU folks) including myself cannot eat cabbage.  It is notorious for causing gas bloating within the stomach with ensuing tremendous pain.

Some of these recipes might be susceptible to substituting grape leaves for cabbage leaves.

Can you eat Napa Cabbage? If so, perhaps you can eat the dish that is the apotheosis of cabbage: the fiery, fermented, and flavorful Korean Kimchi.

Here is a bit from Kimchi's wikipedia page:

a traditional fermented Korean main dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. It is often described as spicy and sour. In traditional preparation, kimchi is often allowed to ferment underground in jars for months. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made from napa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber as a main ingredient.

Just trying to suggest something that will allow you to avoid eating the bitter grape leaves.