Category: Side dishes

Steamed Cabbage with Caraway

Growing up in northern Wisconsin, I ate a lot of cabbage. We didn’t grow cabbages, but many people did, and starting in late summer, you could buy as many heads as you wanted from strategically located wheelbarrows at the ends of driveways. Everything was on the honor system. You just picked out a head that looked good to you and put your money in the cigar box.

Jerri and I have been enjoying steamed cabbage since shortly after we set up housekeeping as a newly married couple. This is basically Jerri’s recipe with a little butter added. I like the flavor of butter on vegetables.

This is another recipe that Jerri says is not really a recipe, so think of it as simple instructions for making a tasty side dish to go with those pork chops you are cooking for dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1 small head of green cabbage (4 or 5 inches in diameter or half a larger one)
1 T caraway seeds
1 tsp. butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt

PROCEDURE:

Remove and discard any damaged outer leaves from the cabbage and wash it well. Cut the head into quarters and remove the solid white core from each quarter. If you have a larger head, just cut one half into two quarters. Slice each quarter lengthwise into wedges about an inch thick.

Put the cabbage and water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Sprinkle the caraway seeds and salt over the the cabbage and dot it with butter, cover the pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a very low simmer and cook for about five minutes until the cabbage is tender but not mushy. Test for doneness with a fork and steam a little longer if necessary.

Remove the pan from the heat, taste and add more salt if you wish.

NOTE: You might want to try a bit of the core before you discard it. It is slightly bitter, but I enjoy the taste and texture. Try the more tender parts from the center of the cabbage.

Phyllis’s Cheese Corn Bread

Mike and Phyllis were friends of ours when we lived in western Kentucky. Mike was a fellow teacher in the English Department at Murray State University. Besides introducing freshmen and sophomore students to great literature and trying to teach them to write grammatically correct sentences with meaning, Mike also was a talented musician. We had many enjoyable afternoons and evenings listening to Mike and our friend Pete playing their guitars and singing folk songs.

I don’t remember Phyllis singing along with us, but she kept us well supplied with plenty of her Kentucky cooking. She and Mike had a place in the country and cultivated a big garden. Phyllis canned the vegetables and fruits that flourished in their yard. She once said that she loved falling asleep listening to the lids “ping” as the jars cooled on the kitchen counter. I know how she felt, for I have given thanks for every “ping” that told me another jar had made it through my inexperienced canning procedures.

Here is a recipe in Phyllis’s neat handwriting that we classify as a winner. It is probably better with home-canned corn, but even a can of store brand whole kernel corn will do just fine. For those of you who do not really like corn meal in bread, you will notice that this recipe has none. It is a wonderfully moist bread that reminds me of dinner rolls. Eat it warm with plenty of butter.

We recently enjoyed it with Easy Eggplant Parmesan. You might want to try that combination this summer while eggplants are still available at your local farmers market.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted shortening or oil
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup whole kernel corn

PROCEDURE:

Preheat the oven to 400º and grease a nine by nine-inch baking pan. Beat the egg in a small bowl for a few seconds until it begins to turn lemon colored and drain the corn. Grate the cheese and melt the shortening if necessary.

Put the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir them together. Whisk the milk and oil into the beaten egg and stir that mixture into the dry ingredients. Blend in the corn and cheese. Stir just until the flour is moistened; this batter should be lumpy.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake on a center shelf for thirty-five to forty-five minutes until the top is golden brown. You can check for doneness with a toothpick inserted near the center of the pan. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.

NOTE: Use either medium or sharp Cheddar cheese for the best flavor.