A month chock-full of delicious recipes all featuring cabbage (cavolo) in its different incarnations. Thanks to all the people who participated. And now, let the banquet begin! The dessert will be the announcement of the February edition of the event.
We start with Lori Lynn of Taste With The Eyes, who has prepared Braised Baby Bok Choy and served it on a lovely plate as support for fresh wild petrale sole sautéed in miso butter.
I have certainly tasted with my eyes: now my taste buds would like to get their share.
Greece meets Poland at Ivy's blog Kopiaste.. to Greek Hospitality. As part of a virtual world tour, Ivy made Kluski z Kapusta (Pasta & Cabbage), a satisfying dish.
I must admit I don't know anything about Polish cuisine, so I am thankful to Ivy, also for introducing a Greek cheese with a lovely name: xynomizithra.
We linger in the Eastern European tradition in the company of Andrea of Cooking Books. She got the recipe for German Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage from her grandmother, who got it from her mother. The secret of the recipe is the use of lemon juice, instead of vinegar, for the sour portion.
The bright color is guaranteed to alleviate winter blues no matter where you live.
Núria of Spanish Recipes shares stories of windy weather and resulting destruction in her corner of the world (Catalonia).
She also tells us about her Pork-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. The dark red peeking from under a roll is a slice of butifarra negra, which is "a traditional Catalan pork blood sausage."
Priya Sriram of Priya's Sourashtrian Kitchen has prepared a sunny-colored dish: Cabbage Curry (Muttagose Poriyal), where cabbage is married to white and yellow lentils.
The dish "is very simple to prepare and can be used as a side dish with any rice variety."
Deepa Hari of Simple Home Cooking shares with us her Red cabbage with moong beans and coconut or Red Cabbage Kootu.
In her words, "Kootu is a simple and delicious south Indian dish made with lentils and veggies."
Tina and Phil of 30 a Week prepared Buckwheat Groat Pilaf with Tempeh, Red Cabbage and Mustard Dressing.
"Instead of relying on a recipe from a cookbook, we attempted to come something on our own. The result... was one of the best tasting dinner ideas we’ve had in a while." That is a nice achievement.
Sweatha of TastyCurryLeaf references my homeland with her Peasant Style Italian Cabbage Soup, which includes also cannellini beans.
"The soup looks very light, but is very filling as it has bean and veggies." Just the right dish for a winter day, I'd say.
Astrofiammante of Mangiare è un pò come viaggiare (Eating is a bit like traveling) has paired canederli (gnocchi made with bread that is a day or two old) with red cabbage in Canederli su letto di cavolo rosso (canederli on a bed of red cabbage) [recipe in Italian].
The pairing is complemented by some speck, a salume made made by de-boning, then curing and finally smoking a pig's thigh.
We remain in Italy with Elle of Vegolosa, who has prepared a tasty Pasta con verza (pasta with cabbage) [recipe in Italian]. The cabbage is cooked with garlic and red wine, then some cooked pasta (ditalini) is added to it. Comforting.
The first Italian trio ends with Lo of Galline: 2nd life (galline means hens in Italian), who prepared a simple and satisfying dish of Broccoli saporiti (tasty broccoli) [recipe in Italian] by microwaving the vegetable florets topped with a little gorgonzola. Cheese lovers, take notice.
Cavolo broccolo is a super-healthy vegetable and one that perhaps deserves an event all for itself. What do you think?
After reminding us of the good qualities of cabbage ("a vegetable that fits all seasons"), Christine of Kits Chow introduces us to Sichuan Spicy Cabbage, an example of marrying cabbage with vinegar.
"In Sichuan restaurants this dish is complimentary for diners. This is very easy to understand. It is cheap, easy to make and whets the appetite."
Rachel, The Crispy Cook, can always count on cabbage to be available in her area, even in the middle of winter. For the occasion, she set aside tried-and-true coleslaw recipes in favor of giving "a Southern-style mustardy Memphis cole slaw recipe a whirl."
She managed to take a photo before her Memphis-Style Cole Slaw had been completely consumed.
We go back to Italy, where Tatiana of Peccati di gola e di amicizia (sins of gluttony and of friendship) turned risotto into a rooting cry for her town's soccer team, Fiorentina, whose color is purple.
Her Risotto viva la fiorentina (risotto "Go fiorentina!") owes its lovely color to the use a "blue broth" that she obtained while making another dish that also had red cabbage as an ingredient.
Marta, An Italian in the US, the creator of the event we are celebrating, tells us about her first experience eating bear meat. In her Bear steak with red cabbage the vegetable complements the dark meat.
"The bear didn't taste as strong as I expected. It had a very particular taste, but not overwhelming, and it went very well with the cabbage." Food for thought.
The last Italian for today is yours truly, who met a particularly fascinating napa cabbage (cavolo napa) at the grocery store and with it prepared stufato di cavolo napa, finocchio e porri (Braised (Napa) Cabbage, Fennel and Leeks).
The stufato is enlivened with roasted red bell pepper, thin slices of baby lemon and toasted sunflower seeds.
I am carrying the Fresh Produce of the Month torch for another month. The event is the brainchild of Marta, An Italian in the US. The theme for this month edition is citrus fruit other than lemons and oranges (agrumi eccetto limoni e arance), since both lemons and oranges have been already featured in previous editions. The fruit in the photo is a kind of pomelo Marta bought in a Chinese grocery store.
If you are inspired to participate (and I hope you are), here are the simple rules for Fresh Produce of the Month: Citrus fruit other than lemons and oranges / Frutta Fresca del Mese: agrumi eccetto limoni e arance
- Publish a post on your blog with a recipe involving citrus fruit (other than lemons and oranges). Add a link to the announcement (either this one or the one on Marta's blog) and mention that it's an entry for the Fresh Produce of the Month event. Feel free to place the logo on your post.
- Send an email with a link to your post, your blog homepage and your name to me at simositeATmacDOTcom. Specify 'Fresh Produce of the Month: Citrus Fruit' as subject. A photo is optional, though helpful.
- If you don't have a blog just send me an email with your recipe and, if you have a picture of the food you made, that's great: I will add it to the roundup as well.
The deadline for entry submission is February 28th, 2009. I will post the roundup soon after.
Note: If you don't receive an answer to your email or a comment on your post within two days of sending me the email, please contact me again: sometimes email messages get lost in cyberspace.
Bellissima raccolta, ricca di ricette interesanti che ruotano intorno a questa verdura dalle mille virtù: complimenti.
Ciao
Posted by: lenny | February 05, 2009 at 12:24 AM
I thought I'd mention that I have just read a recipe in Andrea Camilleri's "August Heat" that sounds simple enough for me to try:
"Adelina had made pappanozza for him. Onions and potatoes boiled a long time and mashed with the back of a fork until they blend together. Seasoning: olive oil, a hint of vinegar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. It was all he ate. He wanted to keep to light food."
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Peter | February 05, 2009 at 12:42 AM
Thanks for hosting this great event in celebration of the cabbage. I think I just may try that cabbage curry above this week. And now to scout around the market for some citrus for next month's event.
Posted by: Rachel | February 05, 2009 at 04:10 AM
grazie Simona...un ottimo lavoro e una raccolta utilissima! a presto :)
Posted by: Lo | February 05, 2009 at 04:59 AM
Thank you so much, Simona, for such a wonderful roundup! I'm really amazed by the variety of wonderful recipes that came out with cabbage as a theme.
Posted by: Marta | February 05, 2009 at 09:34 AM
Thats a wonderful round-up Simona!!
Great job!
I have to think about the next theme, guess surely will find out something.
-Priya
Posted by: Priya Sriram | February 05, 2009 at 11:27 AM
Grazie, Lenny.
Hi, Peter. Let me know if you try it. I love the word pappanozza.
You are welcome, Rachel. I am looking forward to your next contribution.
Prego, Lo.
You are welcome, Marta. As usual, it was great fun and indeed the recipes are all delicious.
You are welcome, Priya. Hope to have your contribution this month as well.
Posted by: Simona Carini | February 07, 2009 at 10:01 AM
Excellent round-up Simona. I especially like how you've laid out the page. I'm excited about the citrus round-up, I have a key lime tree that is dropping limes daily.
LL
Posted by: Lori Lynn @ Taste With The Eyes | February 07, 2009 at 01:08 PM
I like cabbage a LOT. Wonderful lineup of recipes.
Paz
Posted by: Paz | February 07, 2009 at 03:54 PM
Roundup looks great Simona...You have done a good job.
Posted by: Deepa Hari | February 08, 2009 at 09:57 AM
Thanks, Lori Lynn. I wish I could help you with your limes ;)
I do too, Paz. Thanks!
Thanks, Deepa, I am glad you like what I did with the wonderful contributions.
Posted by: Simona Carini | February 08, 2009 at 04:13 PM
Great round-up, Simona. I am sorry I missed it. I am very fond of cabbage. February will be a crazy blogging month for me (am just awakening from a protracted December holiday hangover), but I shall try my best to participate in the citrus event. I do have something in mind.
Posted by: Susan | February 13, 2009 at 12:56 PM
Che bei piatti. Simona, also this month I missed it. You are all so very good in keeping a good pass on your blogs, I am travelling a lot (I am in Italy travelling between Torino and Napoli) and sometimes it becomes really challenging to write on my blog and also follow blogs I like like yours... Does any of you have a good advice for me for doing better? Complication is that I am still "very Italian" and writing my blog in English often takes me more time than I can spend... I would love to have a better pass... Hi to all
Posted by: Cinzia | February 18, 2009 at 01:02 AM
That would be wonderful, Susan. I have also a number of events lined up for this month.
Ciao Cinzia. Don't worry, I knew you were traveling. Traveling between Torino and Napoli is not a bad situation to be. I use Bloglines for my RSS feeds.
Posted by: Simona Carini | February 21, 2009 at 08:37 AM
What a great event. I would love to join next time.
Posted by: Pia | March 13, 2009 at 11:17 AM