The Well-Red Cabbage

Red cabbage is a healthy “green.” Although it is highly recommended by nutritionists, I was surprised to find that students in my cooking classes rarely cooked it. Most did not consider red cabbage suitable for quick cooking because the recipes they had come across called for lengthy braising, sometimes for two or three hours. Some tried boiling red cabbage the way they prepared green cabbage and discovered that it turned an unappealing blue.

I pointed out that cooks in northern and eastern Europe had found the formula for cooking red cabbage. In Denmark, Holland, northern France, Germany, Hungary and Poland, red cabbage is sauteed in a little butter or other fat. To keep its color bright, it is then simmered with a small amount of an acidic ingredient--vinegar, lemon juice or wine. A pinch of sugar or a little honey or jelly balances the vinegar’s sharpness, and often diced apples are added as well. Thus, most red cabbage dishes are sweet and sour and make tasty complements for poultry and meat.

Old-fashioned recipes produce very soft cabbage. Today, most of us prefer our vegetables slightly crisp. We can therefore shorten the braising time of red cabbage to about half an hour, especially when the cabbage is finely shredded.

In France, I learned an even faster method for cooking red cabbage. I saute the shredded cabbage in a little oil for a few minutes so it keeps its crunch. Next, I add a small amount of warm wine vinegar, which gives the cabbage a vivid red color and a pleasant taste. In effect, the vegetable is cooked in a hot vinaigrette. This is a popular technique used by the French for flavoring other sturdy greens such as dandelion and curly endive. You can serve red cabbage prepared this way as a vegetable side dish or as a warm salad.

Shredding cabbage with a knife takes just a little time; using a food processor with a shredding disk takes even less. If you’re in a great hurry, you can buy shredded cabbage in a bag. Keep in mind, however, that shredding cabbage ahead makes it lose some of its vitamin C. Avoid using a carbon-steel knife so that the vegetable will not discolor. For the same reason, choose a nonreactive pan for cooking the cabbage, not one made of aluminum or cast iron.

RED AND GREEN CABBAGE WITH GOAT CHEESE AND CAPERS

Feta cheese or Roquefort can be used instead of the goat cheese in this colorful dish. For a lighter variation, omit the cheese.

1 pound red cabbage (1/2 head) or 5 cups shredded

3/4 pound green cabbage (1/2 small head) or 4 cups shredded

6 tablespoons oil

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons capers, drained well

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2/3 cup coarsely crumbled goat cheese

Core red and green cabbages. Shred each type separately with knife or in food processor with shredding disk.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large heavy skillet. Add green cabbage and salt and pepper to taste and saute over medium heat, tossing often, about 5 minutes or until barely tender. Remove from heat. Add capers and transfer mixture to platter. Cover and keep warm.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in skillet. Add red cabbage and salt and pepper to taste and saute over medium heat, tossing often, about 5 minutes or until barely tender. Remove from heat.

Bring vinegar to boil in small saucepan. Pour over red cabbage and toss well (color will brighten). Add 1/3 cup cheese and dash pepper and toss again.

Arrange green cabbage in ring along outer edge of platter. Spoon red cabbage into center. Make hollow in center of red cabbage and spoon in remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Serve hot or warm.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

304 calories; 305 mg sodium; 16 mg cholesterol; 29 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.99 gram fiber.