My family lived in the country when I was growing up in Fairburn, Georgia. My daddy always had a large garden where he grew most of the vegetables that my family consumed. Among those vegetables was cabbage, and although my mother occasionally made coleslaw or simply served steamed cabbage, she liked to be a bit more creative at times. The recipe below for sweet-and-sour cabbage is one that everyone in the family enjoyed. In fact, we kids always went back for seconds, and you know how finicky children can be about eating their vegetables.
The Health Benefits of Red Cabbage
Cabbage is a member of the Cruciferae family, also known as cole crops, which includes other cool-season vegetables like Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, spinach, mustard, broccoli, turnips and watercress (Aggie Horticulture, n.d.).
Cole-crop vegetables are among those considered the best for for you. According to the Mayo Clinic (2009), the vegetables highest in antioxidants are red and white potatoes (unpeeled), sweet potatoes, broccoli, spinach and red cabbage. Plus, vegetables are high in fiber, and low in calories and fat, so they’re ideal food choices if you’re watching your weight. And, interestingly, you might have been under the impression that cooking destroys or drastically reduces the nutritional value of vegetables. The Mayo Clinic, however, reports, “[O]ne study showed that cooking generally increased levels among select vegetables.”
Tangy Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 5 cups shredded, cooked red cabbage (see instructions below)
- 1 small white onion, sliced into 1/2-inch rings
Directions:
- In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook bacon slices until crisp, approximately 5 to 8 minutes. (Do not microwave the bacon, since you will need the bacon drippings for this recipe).
- Remove skillet from heat and transfer bacon slices to a paper-towel-lined dish to drain. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings from skillet.
- Return skillet to medium heat. Stir flour and brown sugar into the bacon drippings in the skillet.
- Add water, salt, pepper, vinegar, cooked cabbage and onion slices to skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 5 minutes, or until mixture has thickened.
- Dice 4 of the 6 slices of reserved bacon; reserve remaining 2 bacon slices for garnish. Add diced bacon to the cabbage mixture in the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon and cabbage are heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer cooked cabbage mixture to a serving platter. Dice remaining two slices of bacon and sprinkle over the top of the cabbage for garnish.
Preparing the Cabbage
- Using a large chef's knife, shred cabbage into medium-fine pieces.
- In a large saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Once the mixture has come to a boil, add cabbage and cover saucepan. Cook for approximately 10 minutes. The cabbage should still be crisp, not soggy. Do not overcook.
- Drain cooking water from saucepan; reserve cabbage in saucepan.
SOURCES
Mayo Clinic (2009). "Food Sources: The Best Choice for Antioxidants." Retrieved January 29, 2012, from mayoclinic.org.
Texas AgriLife Extension Service. “Cole Crops.” Retrieved January 30, 2012, from aggie-horticulture.tama.edu.
Carol Rzadkiewicz - Carol Rzadkiewicz has taught college English for over 14 years and is the author of three published novels and numerous short stories.
