Italian Cabbage Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the name of the Italian cabbage? ›

Black cabbage is an Italian cabbage, also known as Tuscan cabbage, Tuscan kale, or cavolo nero.

Steaming is a gentle cooking method that helps retain the cabbage's crispiness and nutrients. To steam cabbage, place it in a steamer basket over simmering water and cover with a lid. Steam until it's tender yet still slightly crunchy. If you plan to sauté or stir-fry cabbage, consider blanching it first.

How long should I boil cabbage? Shredded cabbage will be done in around 5 minutes; for wedges, it'll be done around 10. You want to cook until tender, but err on the side of caution—overcooked cabbage will turn limp and give off a less-than-pleasant smell. Tip: Make sure to drain your cabbage to prevent overcooking!

When cooked in an alkaline liquid like water, red cabbage turns blue. Adding vinegar, lemon juice, or another acid helps the cabbage to retain its red-purple color.

The antioxidants in cabbage help reduce inflammation, which is linked to heart disease. Cabbage also contains something called anthocyanins. Several studies have found these compounds can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The headed cabbage variety was known to the Greeks as krambe and to the Romans as brassica or olus; the open, leafy variety (kale) was known in Greek as raphanos and in Latin as caulis.

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water. This also helps cut the pungent edge. Drain well before combining with other ingredients.

When plant cells are broken, the oils are separated from the sugar molecules by an enzyme and released as a very bitter compound. It's a clever defense mechanism for the cabbage plant to discourage hungry foragers.

If you want to serve cabbage wedges as a side dish with dinner (corned beef and cabbage, anyone?), heat a large pot of water on the stove on high heat. As it begins to steam, add the wedges. As it approaches the boiling point, the enzymes will be inactivated, so no more pungent, bitter compounds will form.

Green is the heartiest variety; it takes well to all cooking methods. Red can turn a funny blue color when cooked, so it's best used raw. If you do want to cook it, add a touch of acid like lemon juice or vinegar to lessen the effect. Savoy can be used in any recipe that calls for green cabbage.

Do you boil cabbage with lid on or off? ›

Simmer, covered, until the cabbage begins to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the cabbage carefully, and continue to simmer until the cabbage is tender, an additional 5 minutes. The cabbage is ready when a small paring knife inserted into the thickest part of the cabbage near the core slides through easily.

Adding baking soda to your boiling cabbage can help reduce the objectionable smell and maintain the green color long after when it typically turns grayish from cooking for too long. However, this may rid the cabbage of its nutritional value.

To ferment vegetables, such as cabbage, we take advantage of these two qualities – it's our golden ticket to fermentation! First, we add enough salt to make it difficult for competing microorganisms to survive. The salt then draws moisture out of the cabbage's cells through osmosis, forming a salty brine.

Quite unlike the ice-water cabbage, salted cabbage shreds lost most of its liquid while sitting in the salt, leaving the cabbage pickle-crisp. In addition to having less water in it, the cabbage took on more of the dressing's flavors, and unlike stiff, icy shreds, this limp cabbage was also easier to eat.

Cavolo (cabbage) nero (black) comes with a sleuth of names and nicknames: Tuscan kale, Italian kale, Tuscan cabbage, dinosaur kale, etc. Akin to kale and quinoa, cavolo nero has been at the forefront of the culinary movement.

Cavolo. This is a milder way to say 'damn' or 'hell. ' Combined with 'che' as 'che cavolo' it means 'what the hell. '