Cabbage slaw for tacos
Cabbage appears in a wealth of different varieties, and is in fact part of a bigger family known as brassicas that extends to cauliflower and kale. See our recipe ideas below cabbage slaw for tacos also check out our collection of cabbage recipes. There are two ways to prepare cabbage, depending on how many you want it to serve, and how you want to cook it.
To serve a small number of people, or for recipes when you need to keep the leaves whole, it’s a good idea to peel the leaves off individually, taking what you need then putting the rest of the cabbage back in the fridge, wrapped up. You can then use these leaves whole or shred them as needed. Depending on how old the cabbage is, you may not want to use the outer leaves, particularly if they are bruised, blemished or damaged. To serve a bigger crowd, halve or quarter the cabbage, lay it cut-side down on a board and chop or shred the leaves. For firmer cabbages, such as the red or white ones, you may wish to cut out the tough part of the stem or core first. Put your prepared, shredded cabbage in a steamer and steam for 5 mins or until tender. Put the cabbage leaves or shredded cabbage in a large pan and cover halfway with water.
Bring to the boil and cook for 3-5 mins or until tender. Transfer the leaves to cold water to refresh. Shred the leaves from half a head of cabbage, removing any tough leaf stems. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok, then add the cabbage and 2 sliced garlic cloves. Stir-fry until the cabbage starts to wilt then add 75ml vegetable stock. Cover and cook for 3 mins until just tender.
Finely slice 1 large onion and put it and 50g butter, or 50ml olive oil, in a heavy-based, flameproof casserole dish. Fry the onion over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 mins. Cut the core from a 750g cabbage and finely slice the leaves. Add this to the casserole dish and toss everything together, cooking over a low heat, while you peel and slice 1 apple. Crush 1 tsp juniper and 1 tsp caraway seeds together, then add these and the apple slices to the pan. Shredded cabbage can be pickled or fermented to make sauerkraut or kimchi.
Quarter the cabbage, remove the core and shred the leaves. Blanch in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 mins, then hold under a cold tap to cool. Heat the fat in a pan and fry the shallots, rosemary sprig and garlic cloves for 5 mins, until golden. Discard the garlic and rosemary, toss in the cabbage, stir-frying until reheated. Slow-cooked cabbage leaves stuffed with a tasty rice mixture make a hearty veggie main, or an alternative side dish. This thrifty pasta dish of Savoy greens and crispy pangrattato breadcrumbs is beautiful in its simplicity. For a quick version of sauerkraut, try cabbage simmered in white wine, with onions and herbs.
The acidity of this side dish pairs well with the unctuousness of roast pork. Try Tom Kerridge’s impressive charred hispi cabbage recipe with a punchy breadcrumb coating. Served with his festive porchetta or a roast ham, it works wonderfully as a vegetable side dish. Give your greens a fresh new look by tossing them with mustard, ginger, onion and garlic. Do you have any tips for cooking cabbage? This website is published by Immediate Media Company Limited under licence from BBC Studios Distribution.
This article is about the vegetable. Cabbage and cross section on white. Smooth-leafed, firm-headed green cabbages are the most common, with smooth-leafed purple cabbages and crinkle-leafed savoy cabbages of both colours being rarer. Under conditions of long sunny days, such as those found at high northern latitudes in summer, cabbages can grow quite large. Cabbage was most likely domesticated somewhere in Europe in Ancient history before 1000 BC. Cabbage in the cuisine has been documented since Antiquity.
