CABBAGE Recipe in a PAN
The Pan-Fried Cabbage is a tasty and light seasonal side dish made with Savoy Cabbage ideal for accompanying meat main courses, aged cheeses, or toasted polenta slices.
A quick recipe that presents no difficulty, just pay attention to a few small steps: cut the Cabbage into very thin and possibly all equal strips to ensure even cooking and do not overcook to maintain its nutrients.
The Cabbage is rich in B vitamins, important for ensuring good metabolism, helps to protect bone health thanks to its supply of calcium, fluoride, and magnesium, and contains iron.
Preparing the Pan-Fried Cabbage recipe is very simple: just slice the cabbage, then stew it in a pan with oil and onion and add a little smoked bacon to flavor it. From this basic version, you can then create many variations by enriching it with chopped nuts, other dried fruits, or raisins, adding speck or cooked ham instead of bacon, or anchovies to create always different and tasty Pan-Fried Cabbage.
A tasty rustic dish with a semi-crunchy texture, perfect for accompanying both meat and fish main courses, also as a base for filling savory pies, dressing pasta, flavoring burgers, or enjoying on bread crostini.
Below you will find other side dish recipes and the meat main course that usually accompanies this vegetable: the Shank to be enjoyed with sauerkraut or Pan-Fried Cabbage.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4/6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 152.93 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 7.03 (g) of which sugars 2.52 (g)
- Proteins 6.63 (g)
- Fat 11.80 (g) of which saturated 2.62 (g)of which unsaturated 2.95 (g)
- Fibers 3.24 (g)
- Sodium 495.98 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1.3 lbs savoy cabbage
- 2.8 oz smoked bacon (optional)
- 1 onion
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 0.42 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch black pepper (ground)
Tools
- Pan
Steps
First, clean the cabbage: remove the more damaged outer leaves and rinse it under running water. With a sharp knife, cut it in half and then into fairly thin strips. Discard the tougher central part. Peel and finely chop the onion.
Pour 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a large pan, heat it, add the onion and let it wilt over medium heat, then add the bacon and brown it. At this point, add the cabbage, stir, and let it flavor for a minute. Pour in the broth, white wine vinegar, and continue cooking with the lid on and medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste, adjust salt and pepper, and continue cooking until the broth has evaporated and the cabbage has softened. The pan-fried cabbage is ready to be served. It can be the perfect side dish for a beer-braised shank or roasted shank.
Harvesting period of the different types of Cabbage
There are different types of cabbage and this vegetable is mainly grown in the autumn and winter months, although in spring the “Precocious of Asti” and the Quarantino of San Giovanni grow. The most common varieties in winter are the Iron Head, the Late of Milan, and the Verzotto of Asti. This vegetable is considered ripe when the central head is well-formed.
NOTES
There are different types of Cabbage: Savoy Cabbage, Kale, White Cabbage, Curly Cabbage, and Cauliflower, all of which are rich in nutrients and low in calories, making them suitable for low-calorie diets.
You can also find Milan Cabbage with pink leaves externally well opened, a fundamental ingredient for the preparation of cassoeula or pizzoccheri. Then there is Savoy Cabbage with wrinkled and dark leaves, with a wavy and curly surface deeply veined often confused with the white cabbage which instead has very thin smooth leaves, a single thicker central vein, well compact, and ball-shaped. Both belong to the Brassicaceae family; the only difference is that white cabbage is also used raw in salads while savoy cabbage is consumed only cooked.
STORAGE
Once cooked, pan-fried cabbage can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. Alternatively, you can place it in a container and put it in the freezer for use when needed.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How do you steam cabbage?
Cabbage, like all vegetables, can also be steamed, but to avoid losing all the nutrients you should carefully calibrate the timing: if you use a steamer, you should not exceed 20-25 minutes.
How do you bake cabbage in the oven?
To bake cabbage in the oven, simply cut it roughly, blanch it in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, then once drained, layer it in a greased baking dish or pan, season with a drizzle of oil and a bit of breadcrumbs, and bake in the oven at 392°F for about 20 minutes.
How to cook cabbage without smell?
To avoid the smell of cabbage cooking from filling the whole house, the most effective method is to cook it in a pressure cooker or steam it and add a tablespoon of vinegar or a few bay leaves to the water. Another method is to place a potato in the cooking pot.
