Cabbage: one of the most nutritious vegetables.

A member of the cruciferous family that includes Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, kale and kohlrabi, cabbage is one of the most ancient of vegetables. It has been on the tables of mankind, especially those of the working class, for untold centuries. One of the most nutritious vegetables cultivated by man, it is packed with vitamins and minerals. Taking only three months growing time, it yields large harvests and stores well. The acreage of cabbage yields more edible vegetables than the acreage of any other plant consumed. Hence, for thousands of years it was a God-sent food to peasants.

The original homeland of cabbage was likely China where it still is extensively cultivated. In that land, it has been credited in the past for saving millions during the years of famine. It traveled to Europe in the mist of history, perhaps, some 2,500 years ago. Due to its lengthy storage qualities and resistance to cold, it became a major crop in the continent. The French explorer Jacques Cartier in the mid 16th century brought cabbage to the Americas where, like in Europe, it became much favored by the working class and farmers.

During the Depression years in Western Canada, to our family, as well as our farm neighbors, cabbage during harvest and well into the cooler months was on our daily menu. When I think back to those lean years, I have come to believe, even though our parents did not know its healthful qualities, that this ancient vegetable must have helped sustain our health--a great benefit since we had virtually no access to doctors.

Cabbage in the earlier centuries was not the tight-leafed head that we see today but rather a loose-leaf variety like collards or kale. The head variety was developed during the Middle Ages in northern Europe. Today, it is the majority cabbage used in cooking around the world, coming in dozens of different varieties, the most common being, green, red and Savoy.

A dieter's dream, one cup of cabbage contains about 20 calories, and it is a good source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and especially C, E and K ; as well as containing calcium, fatty acids, potassium, manganese, magnesium, protein, and excellent dietary fiber. With all these vitamins and minerals it is no wonder that some food writers call cabbage a "compact health food store."

Cabbage has many healing attributes, a good number scientifically proven. It improves digestion and reduces constipation. Researchers have established that cabbage is rich in chemicals called isothiocyanate, inhibiting the growth of breast, stomach and, especially colon and lung cancer. As well, it stimulates the immune system, killing harmful bacteria, soothing ulcers, and improving blood circulation.

Combined with its healthful qualities is its versatility in the kitchen. Cabbage can be eaten raw, steamed, baked, braised, sauteed or stuffed. It also blends well with other vegetables such as potatoes, leeks, onions, and carrots, and makes an excellent companion to corned beef and sausage. As well, a whole series of herbs and spices such as celery seed, cumin, caraway, dill, garlic, mustard, pepper, savory, tarragon, thyme, and numerous others, go well with this healthy vegetable.

Cabbage reaches its epitome of nobility in the kitchen when it is made into cabbage rolls. A favorite dish in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, it becomes a gourmet food when prepared with the right amount of herbs and spices. On the farm, coming back from the fields to a steaming pot of cabbage rolls was, for us children a meal fit for the tables of the wealthy.

These few dishes are mostly my mother's dishes with a Middle Eastern flavor--enhanced by others that I picked up from around the world and herbs and spices that usually were not available on the farm.

Cabbage Rolls
(Malfuf Mahshi)
Serves about 8

The meat-filled cabbage rolls are
where cabbage reaches its epitome in
the kitchen.

  1 medium head cabbage about 3
lbs.
  1 lb. lamb or beef, ground or cut into
very small pieces
  1 cup rice, rinsed
  2 cups stewed tomatoes
  3 tablespoons melted butter
  4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
mint
  2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
coriander leaves
  1 teaspoon pepper
  1/2 teaspoon allspice
  1/2 teaspoon cumin
  1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  2 teaspoons salt
  8 cloves garlic, chopped into large
pieces
  1/2 cup lemon juice

Place cabbage in a pot of boiling water then cook for a few minutes to soften leaves. Loosen leaves With a knife from bottom. Trim thick ribs then cut large ones in half. (If inner leaves are not soft, boil again for a few minutes.) Set leaves aside and reserve ribs.

Combine remaining ingredients except, 1 teaspoon of the salt, garlic and lemon juice, to make stuffing.

Place some stuffing, depending on size of leaf on wide end of cabbage leaf and roll, tucking in ends while rolling. Continue until all leaves are stuffed.

Cover bottom of a saucepan with trimmed ribs. Arrange rolls side by side in alternating layers, placing garlic pieces between rolls. Sprinkle remaining salt over top, then cover with inverted plate, then add enough water to barely cover plate.

Bring to boil then cover and cook over medium/low heat for 1 hour. Add lemon juice then cook for a further 10 minutes.

Serve hot as main course or for snacks.

Cabbage/Vegetable Soup
Serves about 10

  4 tablespoons butter
  1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
    into small pieces
  1 large onion, finely chopped
  4 cloves garlic, crushed
  3 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh thyme
    or two teaspoons dried
  1 medium potato, peeled and diced
    into 1/2 inch cubes
  2 cups stewed tomatoes
  4 cups beef or chicken stock
  3 cups water
  2 teaspoons celery seeds
  2 teaspoons salt
  1 teaspoon pepper
  1 teaspoon cumin
  1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Heat butter in a saucepan, stir-fry carrots, onion and garlic over medium heat for 8 minutes. Add cabbage and thyme leaves, stir-fry for another 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 40 minutes or until vegetables are well done, adding more water if necessary.

Cole Slaw Arab Style
Serves about 6

  4 cups shredded cabbage
  2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
  2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
coriander leaves
  1 cup plain yogurt
  3 tablespoons vinegar
  3 tablespoons olive oil
  1 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon pepper
  Pinch of cayenne

Combine cabbage, carrots and coriander leaves in a salad bowl. Thoroughly mix remaining ingredients, stir into the vegetables and serve.

Malaysian Stir-fried Cabbage

Serves from 6 to 8

  1 small cabbage, about (1-1/2
pounds)
  4 tablespoons cooking oil
  1/4 pound beef, cut into very small
pieces
  1/2 pound cooked shrimp
  1 large onion, finely chopped
  1 small hot pepper, finely chopped
  1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon pepper

Shred cabbage, set aside.

Heat oil in a saucepan, then stir-fry beef over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add shrimp, onion and hot pepper, stir-fry for an additional 10 minutes. Add cabbage, salt and pepper, stir-fry until cabbage wilts but remains somewhat crisp. Serve hot.

Borscht

Serves about 12

  4 tablespoons olive oil
  2 medium onions, chopped
  4 cloves garlic, crushed
  1 lb. beets, thoroughly washed and
diced into 1/2 inch cubes
  2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
into 1/2 inch cubes
  2 medium tomatoes, chopped
  1 large sweet pepper, finely
chopped
  2 cups shredded cabbage
  1 small hot pepper, finely chopped
  4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
coriander leaves
  2 teaspoons salt
  1 teaspoon pepper
  1/2 teaspoon cumin
  1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard
  6 cups water
  4 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat oil in a large pot, then saute onions and garlic for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except lemon juice, and bring to boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 1 hour or until vegetables are cooked. Stir in lemon juice and serve hot.

Oriental Shrimp and Noodles
Serves about 6

  1/2 lb. thin noodles, any type
  4 tablespoons cooking oil
  1 large onion, finely chopped
  4 cloves garlic, crushed
  1 tablespoon grated ginger root
  4 cups finely shredded cabbage
  2 cups chopped cooked shrimps
  3 tablespoons soy sauce
  3 tablespoons oyster sauce
  2 tablespoons water
  1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  1/2 cup chopped green onions

Prepare noodles according to directions on package then set aside but keep warm.

Heat oil in a frying pan, add onion, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry over medium/high heat for 3 minutes, stir in cabbage, shrimps, soy sauce, oyster sauce, water and cayenne, stir-fry for 3 more minutes.

Place noodles on platter, spoon frying pan contents over noodles. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Cooked Cabbage
Serves 4

  4 tablespoons cooking oil
  1 medium sized onion, finely
chopped
  4 cloves garlic, crushed
  1 cabbage, about 1 pounds, shredded
  1/4 cup water
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon dried thyme
  1/2 teaspoon ground caraway seed
  1/2 teaspoon pepper
  4 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat oil in a large frying pan, stir-fry onion and garlic over medium/low heat for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Add cabbage and water, sprinkle with the salt, thyme, caraway and pepper. Cover, turn heat to very low and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, place on a platter and serve

Tofu and Cabbage/Carrot Salad
Serves about 6

  1 lb. extra firm tofu, diced into 1/2
inch cubes
  5 tablespoons flour
  Oil for frying
  6 cups water
  2 cups shredded cabbage
  2 cups shredded carrots
  4 tablespoons sesame seed oil
  2 cloves garlic crushed
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon pepper
  1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
seeds

Roll tofu cubes in flour, adding more flour if necessary, set aside.

Place oil in saucepan to about 1 1/2-inch deep, heat to sizzling hot. Drop in tofu cubes, fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, place in a salad bowl.

Place water in a saucepan then bring to boil. Add cabbage and carrots and just bring to boil again, drain quickly in a strainer. Run cold water for a moment over cabbage and carrots, allow to drain for 10 minutes. In another small bowl combine remaining ingredients to make a dressing. Stir into tofu, along with cabbage and carrots just before serving.

Cabbage and Meat Salad
Serves about 6

  1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight,
then drained
  1/2 cup burghal
  3 cups finely chopped parsley
  1 small bunch of green onions, finely
chopped
  1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh
mint
  2 medium tomatoes, finely
chopped
  1 cup lamb or beef, cut into very small
pieces and well fried, then drained
  1 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon pepper
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  4 tablespoons lemon juice
  A dozen large cabbage leaves,
chopped

With a rolling pin, break chickpeas in half, pick out and discard the skins. Place in a saucepan and cover with water, bring to boil. Cook for 20 minutes over medium heat, remove from heat and set aside in their water.

In the meantime, soak burghal in cold water for 15 minutes, drain by placing in a strainer and pushing water out by hand. Place in a salad bowl, set aside.

Remove chickpeas from water and add to burghal (do not discard water), stir in remainder of ingredients, except cabbage leaves.

Place cabbage in the chickpeas water, boil for a few moments. Remove and drain, stir into salad and serve immediately.

BY HABEEB SALLOUM

CANADA