CABBAGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 March 1941, Page 8

CABBAGE

A VALUABLE FOOD. HOW TO USE IT. The person who says “I do not* like cabbage” and refuses to eat it is depriving himself of a valuable food. This dislike, of course, is probably due to the treatment which it usually receives at the hands of the cook. The most important qualities of cabbage are its good calcium content, its richness in vitamin A (if the outer leaves are used) and vitamin C when fresh and raw). The cooking of this vegetables presents several problems. The slow, conservative cooking, which retains lhe minerals and the vitamin B. tends to destroy the vitamin C. Soda also destroys the vitamin C. On the other hand the quick cooking in a lot of water which is not so destructive to vitamin C, leaves a lot of water to be used in -other ways, for in this water is a large proportion of the vitamins and minerals.

It is, therefore, perhaps best to use cabbage raw as often as possible; and when cooking it shred it very finely, place it in a small quantity of boiling, salted water and cook for not longer than 10 to 12 minutes. The following suggestions are made for its use:—• A. Raw.—Cdbbage is becoming increasingly popular in America as a basis for green salads. It is excellent in this way, particularly in winter when lettuces are expensive and inferior in quality. (1) Take equal quantities of raw carrot and finely shredded raw cabbage. Dress with oil and lemon juice, and add a few cold cooked peas. (2) Decorate shredded cabbage with sliced beets. Cover lightly with chopped hard-boiled egg and parsley. (3) To a finely shredded cabbage add one chopped apple. Moisten with onion juice and serve on lettuce.

(4) Use a mixture of shredded cabbage. chopped cucumber, pickles, diced celery, diced hard cooked eggs and dressing. (5) Use cabbage, diced cucumbers and quartered tomatoes. B. Cooked. —Russian cabbage.—Cut off the stem of the cabbage and remove most of the lender heart leaves so that a large shell remains. Shred the inner leaves finely, and mix with tomatoes, seasoning, 3oz. melted butter, 1 raw egg yolk and some bread crumbs. Fill the cabbage with this mixture, place it in a deep buttered casserole, and pour in 1 pint milk. Bake in a slow oven for 2 to 3 hours.

(2) Cabbage au Gratin. —This recipe can be used for left-over cabbage. For each 2 cups cooked cabbage use 1 cup of medium white sauce and half a cup of breadcrumbs which have been tossed in melted butter. Pour the white sauce over the cabbage in a greased baking dish, sprinkle with the buttered bread crumbs and brown in the oven. Serve hot. A whole cauiflower head is attractive served in this way. Cheese in the white sauce or grated on top makes a good variation.