This week’s tempest in a teapot comes from the UK where the alarmist media is reporting a ‘crisis’ with the ‘rationing’ of iceberg lettuce and broccoli because of crop difficulties from importing countries. As if it was wartime and people were struggling to feed themselves with victory gardens and offal while bombs fell around their dinner tables. Bored writers in newsrooms can whip most anything into a sensationalized story it seems.
To my mind it’s not rationing if there are stacks upon stacks of other affordable veg to eat two feet to the left. Here in Canada we’d simply call that a ‘buying limit’. Not a week goes by that some item on short supply or deep discount isn’t limited to ‘x per customer’ where the store isn’t making quite as much profit. They naturally want to get as many people as possible into the store using their old menu habits against them. I also think they use the term as a bit of sales ploy to encourage overbuying in a sort of reverse pantry psychology.
I read in the UK this week you could still have three heads of iceberg which is about two and half more than I could eat in a week even if I tried. I’ll wager more interesting lettuces and greens are on offer too but once again the lack of cookery knowledge, convenience marketing, and sheer kitchen laziness is at play. The old restaurant saying is that you don’t put strawberries on the menu in December and I think the same logic should apply to home chefs in a comfortable cooking rut that never look up to see the seasonal harvest calendar.
So, people of vegetable-panicked Britain, here’s my first solution* using good old home grown cabbage which you no doubt have plenty of this time of year. Cabbage stewed to death in a vat of water can be foul fare indeed but when you take away that volume of liquid and keep the heat low, you end up with something sweet and delicious. Much like slow cooking onions into caramelized goodness. Mustard seeds infused into the oil at the start keep things from getting too sweet, a trick I learned years ago from a Portuguese customer who couldn’t get enough of the stuff and told me that it was always how they ate it in her hometown.
* I’ll talk about sprouting interesting greens later in the week for you salad addicts.
I’ve made this with both red and green varieties which each seem to perform well albeit with technicolor results at times. Uniform shredding of the cabbage genuinely helps the sweetness of this dish along with bolder brown mustard seeds working better than milder yellow sorts although either would do in a pinch. Only rarely do I need to add the smallest spoonful of sugar at the end and I suspect that’s likely down to how long the cabbage has been in cold storage before it got to my kitchen. The only caveat is that this dish doesn’t keep incredibly well so make each batch fresh with dinner and serve it warm from the stove.
For the record this is how I prep cabbage for inclusion in my addictive Chinese bao (filled steamed buns). Mixed with slow cooked pork, spring onions, and home made hoisin sauce it can’t be beat.
Braised Cabbage with Mustard Seed
While you can certainly employ your best knife skills to accomplish the task, a food processor with the correct blade makes the uniform shreds that are ideal in seconds. Resist the urge to raise the temperature above medium. Slow cooking yields the best flavour.
1 medium (~ 1kg) head cabbage, any variety, locally grown preferred
2 tablespoons sea salt + additional to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds, whole
1 large onion, any variety, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorn
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
up to 2 teaspoons sugar (only occasionally needed)
Halve and core the cabbage and cut to fine eighth-inch shreds using a food processor or sharp knife. Add to a strainer and salt well leaving it to drain for fifteen minutes over a bowl or sink.
Thoroughly rinse the salt from the cabbage under very cold running tap water then spin or shake the cabbage dry.
In a large sauté pan with high sides over medium heat, add the oil and mustard seeds and stir occasionally until the seeds begin to pop, about four minutes. Add the sliced onion and sauté until translucent, about another two minutes. Add all of the cabbage, toss to combine, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for ten minutes stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and add the peppercorn, cider vinegar, and if necessary tiny amounts of sugar for balance tossing all well to combine. Continue to cook uncovered anywhere from ten to twenty minutes longer until the cabbage is your desired texture. Adjust salt to taste and serve while still warm.
