Stuffed Cabbage
Wash the cabbage, remove the stem, and parboil in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and plunge into cold water. Drain again as soon as the cabbage has cooled, but this time put it top down in the colander so that all the water will drain out.
Prepare the stuffing as follows: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan, add 1 onion, finely chopped, and cook until soft. Mix this with 1/4 pound pork sausage meat, 1/4 pound leftover cooked meat, ground or finely chopped, 2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs, 1 cup cooked rice, 1 clove of garlic, crushed, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a little pepper, and 1 beaten egg.
Place the cabbage, stem end down, in a bowl and carefully cut out the hard core in the center, leaving a good thick base at the bottom. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper through the leaves. Fill the core cavity and the spaces between the leaves, distributing the filling as evenly as possible all around the cabbage. Wrap 2 or 3 slices of fat fresh or salt pork around the cabbage and tie securely with string. Arrange 1 carrot, sliced, and 1 onion, sliced, in the bottom of a casserole, place the cabbage on top, and pour boiling stewed tomatoes around to about 1/3 the height of the cabbage. Cover the casserole and cook in a moderate oven (350° F.) for about 2 hours, basting from time to time. Remove the cabbage to a serving dish. Strain the liquid into a saucepan, skim off the fat, and cook until it is reduced to about 1 cup. If any leftover meat gravy is on hand, add it to the sauce. Pour the sauce around the cabbage and serve.
Staffed Cabbage Leaves
Clean a cabbage and parboil it in boiling water for 10 minutes. Plunge into cold water, cool, and drain well. Separate the leaves, lay 2 or 3 together on the table, and spread them flat. Cover with a few spoonfuls of stuffing, as in the recipe for stuffed cabbage above. Roll up the leaves and tie with string. Arrange the rolls in a heatproof serving dish and pour boiling stewed tomatoes around to come about halfway up the rolls. Bake in a moderate oven (350° F.) for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Make the sauce as for stuffed cabbage.
If stuffed cabbage or cabbage leaves are left over, they can be sliced cold and served with vinaigrette sauce as an hors-d'oeuvre.
The trick with red cabbage is not to use too much fat in cooking it. This will make a very heavy dish and one that is liable to be indigestible. I use just a very little butter and never any pork fat. Fresh goose fat is even preferable to butter. And red cabbage should always be cut in very fine julienne for tenderness.
Red Cabbage with Wine
Clean 1 large or 2 small heads of red cabbage, cut in quarters, and remove the hard core. Cut the cabbage in fine julienne and parboil in boiling water for 10 minutes. Cool it in cold water and drain well. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, a little pepper, and a few grains of nutmeg. Melt 2 tablespoons butter or fresh goose fat in a saucepan, add 1 onion, finely chopped, and cook until it is soft. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 cups white or red wine, and 2 cups water. Add the drained cabbage and cook gently for 30 minutes. Add 2 or 3 green apples, peeled, cored, and chopped, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes longer, adding more water if necessary to keep it from scorching.
This is a very simple dish; the trick —to be sure the cabbage stands long enough in the salt.
Red Cabbage for Hors-d'Oeuvre
Clean a red cabbage, cut it in quarters, and remove the hard core. Cut in fine julienne and put in a bowl with 1 tablespoon salt. Leave it in a cold place for 24 hours, turning it over from time to time. Squeeze out all the water. Add 1 clove of garlic, 1 bay leaf, 8 peppercorns, and 2 tablespoons vinegar and let the cabbage stand for a few hours to pickle.
Right now, the markets are full of plums, but there are so many kinds that it is sometimes hard to decide which to use for what. I think the small blue plums are best for tarts. They are juicy and full-flavored and have enough pulp so that they don't cook away to nothing but juice. In making plum tarts, here are two tricks worth trying. After fitting the pastry into the tart pan. sprinkle the bottom of it with some stale cake or cookie or macaroon crumbs before arranging the fruit and sugar. The crumbs will absorb some of the juice and prevent it from boiling over the edge. Then, when the tart is done and still hot, spread some melted currant jelly over the fruit to glaze the top and add fine flavor. For a change, make an apricot and plum tart. This is a particularly good combination, since the juicy plums blend well with the drier apricots.
Pinterest
