For our mountain forebears, as was true for most folks who lived close to the land, cabbage was an especially prized vegetable. Several considerations explain the popularity of cabbage in yesteryear, and while not all of them remain true, the humble vegetable’s appeal remains as strong as ever.
In days gone by, cabbage enjoyed the virtue of being something of a two-season vegetable, thanks to it being a crop suitable for bringing to harvest in both the spring and fall over appreciable portions of this region. Then there’s the fact that it keeps well, and even in pre-refrigeration days could be stored for months in a root cellar or beneath corn shocks.
Alternatively, it could be pickled to produce kraut, a different means of preserving that promised fine eating along with promoting gut health and offering Vitamin C and K during the winter months, when they were much needed. Sauerkraut likewise offered a distinctively different taste from that associated with the vegetable in a raw or cooked state. Finally, there was its versatility, a sort of vegetable for all seasons and many culinary reasons. Here’s a sampling of recipes for this longtime staple in mountain diet.
Pot Likker
The term “pot likker” is often used to describe the “leavings” from various types of vegetables, especially ones such as different types of greens or dried beans, that are cooked in water. The vitamin-rich liquid is tasty and absolutely begs for pairing with cornbread. Indeed, crumbling a hefty piece from a pone into the “likker” offers a filling and fulfilling one-dish meal. True pot likker, and in this regard I’ll refer to no less authority than mountain literary icon John Parris’ book, Mountain Cooking, relates specifically to cabbage. “The best potlikker,” he writes, “is made from cabbage flavored with a ham shoulder and pods of red pepper.” About all that remains are the details of preparation and to note that a mighty toothsome alternative utilizes turnip roots instead of cabbage.
Also, in fairness, my Grandpa Joe, an old-time trencherman of considerable merit, would have reckoned that a finishing touch of a dried pod or two of the hot peppers he grew would have put a finishing touch on a tried-and-true mountain delicacy.
Properly done pot likker requires long and slow cooking so that the ingredients mix, mingle, and marry into a pure taste delight, and along with cabbage some type of pork — trimmings from a country ham, a shoulder hock, hog jowl, a few slices of fatback, spareribs, or if you are in a pinch, some fried and crumbled sausage along with the grease that cooks out, will work.
Ingredients:
- 1 head of cabbage, quartered and cored
- Salt, black pepper, and red pepper to taste
- Pork of some type
- 4 cups of water, or for richer pot likker, pork broth
- OPTIONAL: A diced onion.
Preparation:
Place all the ingredients n a large stock pot or similar container and bring to a rolling boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and slow cook for several hours. Check occasionally and stir a bit, adding more water or broth as needed. When ready to serve the cabbage should be cooked to a “melt in your mouth” consistency with the end result resembling a thick soup. Serve with a pone of cornbread and perhaps stewed apples or applesauce.
An alternative cooking approach is to place all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook that way.
Slaw
Making scrumptious slaw is, to a surprising degree, more a matter of avoiding mistakes than doing everything just right. Common mistakes involve sogginess, cutting the cabbage and other ingredients too coarsely, using too much vinegar or sweetening, adding an overpowering vegetable in the mix (bell pepper is the most likely culprit here, or letting your choice of a dressing overwhelm the taste. Tasty slaw should be crisp, offer a nice blend of vegetables that complement one another, and tangy without being overly sour or sweet.
My personal favorite is offered below, but slaw is a dish where experimentation is a delightful part of the process. Test and tinker — in time you’ll get everything perfect for your palate or those of your family.
Half a medium-sized cabbage, coarsely shredded (one of the medium settings on a hand-held cheese grater or food processor should be just right)
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons apple vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Salt, pepper, and celery seed to taste
- 1 finely grated carrot
- 3 tablespoons Duke’s mayonnaise (or try buttermilk or ranch dressing as alternatives)
- Small amount (2-3 tablespoons) of finely diced bell pepper or an alternative such as burpless cucumber, radish, raw turnip, or kohlrabi
Preparation:
After vegetable ingredients have been readied, mix them lightly without the liquid ingredients and then use absorbent paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to pat dry a bit. This is an important step for crisp slaw that avoids being soggy. Then add vinegar, honey, and dressing and seasonings. Stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon and chill before serving. You can, if desired, sprinkle paprika atop the slaw or decorate the bowl with slices from a tomato.
Cabbage Patch Stew
Cabbage has to be reckoned, along with potatoes, as a vegetable meriting the description “hearty.” It can certainly be a key ingredient in all sorts of dishes that work well in filling the inner man. This stew, which I first discovered thanks to my good friend, webmaster, book co-author, and old-time mountain cook Tipper Pressley, is a prime example. Sit down before a bowl of this offering on a chilly winter’s day, with the aroma of its many ingredients wafting through the air, and you’ll know simple, savoring dining at its best.
STEW
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced
- 1½ cups coarsely chopped cabbage
- 1 can (16 ounces) of stewed tomatoes
- 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
DUMPLINGS (optional)
- 2 cups Bisquick
- 2/3 cup milk
Preparation:
Cook and stir ground beef in Dutch oven until brown; drain. Add onions, cabbage, and celery; cook and stir until vegetables are light brown (about 10 minutes). Stir in tomatoes, kidney beans with liquid, water, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Heat to boiling and then reduce heat. To make dumplings for the stew mix 2 cups Bisquick with ²/³ cup milk until soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls into boiling stew. Cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle dumplings with paprika if desired.
TIP: Stew is really good with crackers or cornbread if you want to skip the dumplings.
Cabbage and Beef Soup
Pretty much any way you prepare cabbage, with the possible exception of slaw, words such as hearty, filling, or rich come to mind. This recipe, ideal for a cold winter evening or a gathering of friends for food and a comforting libation, certainly fits such descriptions.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup pearl onions (or one chopped large onion)
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 small to medium sized cabbage cored and cut into small (bite-size) chunks
- 1 pound beef stew meat or steak cut into 1-inch pieces (you can substitute venison if desired)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons rosemary
- 2 teaspoons Mediterranean seasoning
- 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 6 cups beef stock (or 5 cups beef stock and one of red wine)
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a stew pot and once it is hot sear the meat on all sides. Then add the onions and cook on medium heat for three minutes. Add carrots and cook while stirring occasionally for 3 minutes. Then add cabbage and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the cabbage begins to soften. Add minced garlic, stirring steadily, and cook for another minute. At this point add the stock and herbs, mix well, and set heat at a simmering pace. Cover the stew pot with a lid and allow to cook for 12 minutes or until the carrots and cabbage or soft and penetrable with a fork. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with garlic toast or warm yeast bread and a fruit salad.
Offbeat Approaches for Enjoying Cabbage
The large outer leafs of a cabbage head invite experimentation on a variety of fronts. Try replacing the flatbread (tortilla, pita, and the like) you normally use for wraps with a cabbage leaf. It will wrap up the inside ingredients quite nicely and perhaps give you a decidedly different taste adventure.
Instead of using diced potatoes to make corned beef hash, chop up a quarter or half head of cabbage into small pieces with an ulu or chef’s knife, drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large frying pan, and cook the cabbage on medium heat, stirring frequently until it begins to brown and becomes translucent. Then add a can of corned beef, mix it with the cabbage as it heats, and serve as a hearty breakfast or main meal. Alternatively, after this cabbage/corned beef mixture is fully cooked, break two or three eggs atop it and continue cooking until all the eggs show white and the yolks just begin to solidify (remember that the eggs will continue to cook a bit after being removed from hear).
Try a mix of chopped cabbage and salad greens in a grain bowl with rice (chick peas, lentils, or couscous can be used in place of rice), slices of chicken breast, and a homemade dressing of mayonnaise, wine vinegar, and mustard. The added crunch and taste difference is delightful.
About the author: Jim Casada is the author or co-author of a number of cookbooks. Among the more recent are Fishing for Chickens: A Smokies Food Memoir and Celebrating Southern Appalachian Foods (with Tipper Pressley). To order these books or learn more about his other works, visit jimcasadaoutdoors.com.