# Challenge October 2013 - Cabbage



## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Oh decissions, decissions....
I just could not make up my mind,. So many options, so many ideas !
It is October now and this months challenge is beginning.
Normally this is our hottest month, yet yesterday it was as cold as during mid winter. I was having dinner wearing 3 jachets!
So, cold foods are out!
And winter foos are in (I will probably regret this in a couple of days).

This months challenge: CABBAGE, 
Or basically everything from the brassica family, 
So give us your cabbage soup, coleslaw, brussels sprouts, sauerkraut, pickled cabbages!
Western style, Asian style, Fusion style.
Go wild!

Let the games begin!


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Haha I didn't see that one coming!  It's gonna be one smelly gassy month lol!  Just to be clear, are we talking brassica and cruciferous?  Is that the same family?


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## samwest61 (Aug 11, 2013)

I love how this challenge has already heavily influenced my menu writing and its only the second of October! My first offering will be arriving on a computer screen near you in the following hours......


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

YES, good choice.


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Great, healthy choice! Love it.

*Sechuan chicken with cauliflower*





  








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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Anyone have a fool proof easy way to get cabbage leaves separated and ready to stuff?


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

*Spaghetti with cauliflower and anchovies*

A classic.

Cauliflower in vapor





  








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Olive oil (from cold), garlic, peperoncini and anchovies





  








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When anchovies dissolve, add the floretes and break them a little





  








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Plate





  








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Mamma mía! Questa è buona.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Ah, I like it. With the recent cold here and the cabbages getting ready in my garden, this is perfect. I shall dig out some local Bavarian specialities....


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Funny: I walk in the kitchen this morning, my wife was back from the grocery store and already started cooking... cabbage, potatoes, onions and sausages. Can't go wrong, and the weather today is a little grayer and cooler than yesterday, which suits the dish just well.


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

Koukouvagia said:


> Anyone have a fool proof easy way to get cabbage leaves separated and ready to stuff?


Well, I blanch it, remove all the leaves that can be easily removed and then blanch it again and remove more leaves. That's it. I don't know of any better way.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Slayertplsko said:


> Well, I blanch it, remove all the leaves that can be easily removed and then blanch it again and remove more leaves. That's it. I don't know of any better way.


So you do it whole then? Do you cut part of the core out?


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Koukouvagia said:


> Anyone have a fool proof easy way to get cabbage leaves separated and ready to stuff?


I just quarter the cabbage, and with a single slanted cut on each quarter, remove each quarter's section of core. The leaves come apart on their own.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

French Fries said:


> I just quarter the cabbage, and with a single slanted cut on each quarter, remove each quarter's section of core. The leaves come apart on their own.


But are the leaves useful this way? You can stuff them!


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Ah I didn't realize you wanted to stuff them, sorry. I guess it would still work if the cabbage is big enough and you don't need big leaves... otherwise try cutting it in halves, and with two knife cuts, remove the core, or if the cabbage is very small, put it upside down and with four knife cuts, remove the core, then remove the leaves one by one. 

Basically, the core is what the leaves are attached to, so you need to detach them from the core somehow.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Red cabbage braised in duck fat with sherry vinegar, carrots, celery and chestnuts.





  








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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I find steaming the cabbage the easiest way to remove the leaves whole for stuffing. It's similar to the blanching method in that you'll steam, remove some leaves, steam some more, and repeat. Has the advantage that you don't have to fish it out of the water and drain it.


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

Koukouvagia said:


> So you do it whole then? Do you cut part of the core out?


Yes, I blanch it whole and you're right, I do cut part of the core out, you know, that tough root. The leaves come off easily whole (except for a few that might get torn). You then need to cut off the thick central stem of each leaf as this way it will be much easier to roll them tightly. There's no need to tie them or anything, just roll tightly and stack them next to one another. You can do one to three layers this way and either simmer on the stove or bake in the oven. I prefer the latter, especially if I use my clay baker and then I go for 3-5 hours, nice and slow. And if I wait for the next day to eat, it's the ultimate comfort food.

My favourite way so far is this:

STUFFING: 1 lbs. minced meat (I prefer pork), two to three onions, two cloves of garlic, rice (soaked in hot water for 5 minutes), good-quality sweet paprika (at least 1 tbsp. or to taste), one bread roll or kaiser bun, milk, lard. Cut up and soak the bun in warm milk until it's totally soggy. Fry the onions, chopped, in lard until they start to get golden brown, add chopped garlic and let it cook a bit more, add the paprika, stir and off the heat with it. Now mix the fried onions with the meat and the soaked bun and add some rice (I can't tell you how much, but don't add to much - less is more here). You may also mix in a few chopped tomatoes (or even fry them with the onions) and also perhaps some chopped parsley and/or dill. Season well with salt and pepper.

THE REST OF IT: You'll need now some tomatoes, some green or yellow sweet and hot peppers and some nice bacon. Dice and fry the bacon, slice the vegetables. Put a layer of tomatoes and peppers at the bottom of your casserole, some bacon and a few knobs of lard (it's best to buy some fatback from your butcher, dice it and render your own - and you get cracklings too). Place the first layer of cabbage rolls. Now the second layer of vegetables and the rest of the bacon, then one more layer of cabbage rolls. Finally, you may cover this with all those torn and small and ugly cabbage leaves, a few nice knobs of lard on top of that, cover it and bake nice and slow. Adding water is to my mind not necessary as the tomatoes and peppers contain enough of it that will be rendered during the baking process. Of course, don't forget to season each layer with salt and pepper and it might also be a good idea to blanch the cabbage in salted water.

All that it needs is a couple of slices of nice rustic bread and perhaps a generous dollop of sour cream, too. But other than that, I consider it a complete meal.


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

French Fries said:


> Red cabbage braised in duck fat with sherry vinegar, carrots, celery and chestnuts.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hmmm, red cabbage with vinegar, yummy! And roast duck and lokše smeared with that lovely duck fat that remains. Must have it, soon, very soon, must have it!


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

*Cauliflower soup with Madras curry and chicken satés*

An older picture taken in march 2011. Soup; cauliflower, onion, potato, Madras curry powder, chicken stock. Saté; panfried strips of chicken breast, fresh tarragon.





  








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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Baja fish tacos, beer battered cod, simple cabbage slaw with red onion dressed with mayo, orange juice, AC vinegar, sugar. 
Fire roasted salsa on top.




  








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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

Slayertplsko said:


> ...
> All that it needs is a couple of slices of nice rustic bread and perhaps a generous dollop of sour cream, too. But other than that, I consider it a complete meal.


Oh My Goodness!!!

My mouth is SO watering!

Do you have any photos Slayer? It sounds divine, and don't really care for cabbage all that much.

My Mother would make force us kids to eat boiled cabbage, ACK!

My Mother is Danish and just boils that PULP ([email protected] /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif) out of everything. To this day I just can't look at it...

but your stuffed cabbage casserole sounds like heaven.

Maybe I should make that for her to let her see how good cabbage can be.


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## samwest61 (Aug 11, 2013)

I'm pretty new to this site and I'm unaware of any kind of rules that attain to this contest but, in the interest of fair play (I'm British, after all) I conjured up this dish today with this website heavily in mind! My colleagues haven't notice that I've been cooking with a lot of cabbage for the last 24 hours, here's hoping they just think I'm finally turning German or something! We were in need of a new starter to go on the specials menu tonight so naturally my mind veered directly towards our Brassicaceae friends (pretty sure that's a word, moderator?) I already had some duck prosciutto kicking around that I'd made a couple of weeks before so I created a 'duo' of duck that included the prosciutto and a duck breast cabbage roll! Here's how it went down, ya ready?





  








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I took six duck breasts, fat 'n all, and minced them up with a meat grinder. Then I added orange zest, toasted pistachios, garlic, ginger, cinnamon and cayenne. Salt and pepper of course. I piped the mix into blanched green cabbage leaves, as shown above.





  








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I rolled them up tightly in cling film (or saran wrap depending on which side of the Atlantic floats your boat) and poached them in very warm (but not simmering) water for about 15 minutes until the internal temperature was 60°C or 140°F, a nice medium pink (we're dealing with breast, after all). This was the result:





  








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The combination of the orange with the pistachio went particularly well with the richness of the fatty duck and the bittersweet cabbage. But now to make it worth paying 16 euros for:





  








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I sliced the duck prosciutto thinly and served it on drops of gremolata (barely visible, sorry!). The duck cabbage rolls were warmed up and sliced on the angle. I served the duck with a simple mixed salad of julienne beetroot and baby chicory with micro herbs. I prepared a simple (and I mean SIMPLE!) red pepper coulis to give the dish a bit of warmth and visual vibrancy, and to bring everything together. Guten appetit!


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

SamWest61 said:


> ... 16 euros ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So in US dollars today that's $21.75 ... and that's an app, right? Would you say that would be enough for 2 people to share?


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## samwest61 (Aug 11, 2013)

No I wouldn't but I should also add that I live and work in Germany where the economy is faring decidedly better than other parts of Europe, its just not comparable to US prices!


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Expensive, but a really nice plate of food!! Sam, do you have a fork for me? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

PS: first time I hear about lokše - they almost look like tortillas... I'd love to give them a try one day.

@ Chris, your cauliflower curry soup with chicken skewers looks fabulous too. Who'd have thought of serving skewers with soup! (not me)


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

chefbuba said:


> .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


YUM, now that's what SHOULD be on my plate for dinner tonight!

EXCELLENT Chefbuba, excellent!


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Today's lunch special.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

SamWest61 said:


> No I wouldn't but I should also add that I live and work in Germany where the economy is faring decidedly better than other parts of Europe, its just not comparable to US prices!


Looks most excellent. Mind telling me where exactly you cook? I would definitely come visit if it is reasonably close!


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## samwest61 (Aug 11, 2013)

Cologne, and it would be a pleasure to have you if you're ever in the 'hood!


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

SamWest61 said:


> Cologne, and it would be a pleasure to have you if you're ever in the 'hood!


So you're not all that far away from me too! Love your duck duo, very nice!

@FF;


> Who'd have thought of serving skewers with soup! (not me)


It came as a pleasant surprise to the table and I must admit that I've done this a few times more after this.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

We are off to a good start!

Thanks guys /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

@ koukou:

We are talking about both:

*Cruciferous vegetables* are vegetables of the family Brassicaceae (also called Cruciferae) (quote from wikipedia)

I have to say that I didn't even think of the cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi etc when I decided on this theme

@ Ordo

You are off to a flying start here! I like that szechuan style cauliflower. Can you give us the ingredients?

The spaghetti is looking pretty good as well.

Personally I am not a cauliflower fan, but these creations might just help me change my mind

@ FF

Awesome looking dish!

Wish I could take a bite.

Is there anything better than frying in duck fat?

@ Slayer:

Send us pictures please as your description sounds so good!

I agree with Kaneo: over boiled cabbage is just awful, but Kaneo, this thread might just get you over your aversion /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

@ Chris:

Very original! I would never have come up with a combination like that!

@ ChefBuba

Very nice looking dish. Coleslaw always does good as an accompaniment, doesn't it?

Mind giving us the recipe of the salsa?

@ SamWest

A great entry!

Wouldn't mind getting that as a starter on my plate!

Very original idea.

Keep them coming /img/vbsmilies/smilies/peace.gif


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

SamWest61 said:


> Cologne, and it would be a pleasure to have you if you're ever in the 'hood!


Sadly a bit to far to just stop by for dinner. I'm close to Nürnberg here. I am occasionally there on business trips, though. I'll send you a message next time!


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

*Stuffed pork fillet served with broccoli, Brussels sprouts and potato*

Wintery dish, was made februari 2012.





  








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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Wow, great dishes so far! I made chicken stew that I adapted from a Romanian recipe. Chicken legs and thighs, carrots, leeks, red peppers, cauliflower, garlic, diced tomatoes, vermouth, bay leaf, smoked paprika, all spice, olive oil. Not in that order. Served with rice pilaf. Special treatment of the cauliflower, it did not go into the stew right away. Instead I tossed it with olive oil and spicy paprika and roasted it until golden. Then I threw it in the stew in the last 10 minutes. It was slightly crunchy and very spicy amidst the sweet stew. The sauce was the best I've ever had to tell you the truth. Served with rice pilaf (butter, chicken stock, squirt of lemon)





  








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I apologize for the picture, for reasons I don't understand it uploads sideways from my computer, it's supposed to be rotated! You have to tilt your head to the right to look at it right side up. What's up cheftalk?


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

So here is a list of a few of the options we have in this challenge, just to make it clear.
[h2]List Of Cruciferous Vegetables Including Brassica Vegetables[/h2]
Here's a list of cruciferous vegetables: the four species of Brassica (a genus in the Cruciferous family) and the other cruciferous vegetables.

Notice that broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are the same species! They differ only in how they have been bred, and thus are classified as different cultivars.

_Brassica oleracea_
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Collard greens
Kohlrabi

_Brassica rapa_
Bok choy
Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage)
Rapeseed oil (canola)
Rapini
Turnip

_Brassica napus_
Rutabaga

_Brassica juncea_
Mustard greens

_Other cruciferous vegetables_
Arugula (rocket)
Daikon radish
Horseradish
Maca
Radish
Virginia pepperweed
Wasabi
Watercress


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Great list! Thanks.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Koukouvagia said:


> So here is a list of a few of the options we have in this challenge, just to make it clear.
> [h2]List Of Cruciferous Vegetables Including Brassica Vegetables[/h2]
> Here's a list of cruciferous vegetables: the four species of Brassica (a genus in the Cruciferous family) and the other cruciferous vegetables.
> 
> ...


Someone is threatening my position as da biochemist in da house...


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Vindicate yourself Gene!

It seems Butzy opened Pandora's box (for the good). A lot of vegetables. I will post two:

Cauliflower confit with garlic alla Siduri. Mix with pasta, rice, gratin it, etc. Endless possibilities. One of the great an simplest recipes of the year.





  








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Daikon and beef spine soup





  








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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

ORDO!!!! Dat soup! Please, in the name of the Nameless Ones, post a recipe!!!


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Recipe:

1. Ask the butcher to cut each vertebrae of the beef spine. 
2. Thoroughly clean the spine cuts (it's usually an unclean cut) and blanche for 5 minutes in unsalted boiling water.
3. Despise the greased water.
4. Put the spine cuts again in fresh water with a good amount of sliced and smashed ginger, salt, black pepper grains and Szechuan pepper grains. Nothing more. Let it simmer until almost fork tender.
5. Add diagonal sliced daikon until done. 

This is the basic recipe which I learned from my wife. I like to add some hotness to it, like a pepperoncino or two.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

ordo said:


> 3. Despise the greased water.


Why all the hate? Poor greased water. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif 

(discard?)


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

It has a certain religious touch to it. The greased water shall be despised!, for it is an abomination unto the cook


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

This morning my wife made a cole slaw with her homemade mayo. Incredible the amount of water you can squeeze out of the shredded cabbage by adding salt and applying some pressure on it.





  








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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

French Fries said:


> Why all the hate? Poor greased water. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif
> 
> (discard?)


Shame on my English! But you two will be condemned! The Nameless Ones are after you.

Nice salad FF.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif

And Ordo don't you love those siduri-style cauliflowers? I've made them many times now for pasta, and it's delicious. Usually people don't exactly get excited when you tell them you're making pasta with cauliflower.. but when they taste it they love it! On your pic it looks like you've got those cauliflower florets perfectly caramelized.

And the beef spine soup reminds me of vietnamese soups... sounds very tasty. I don't think I've ever had beef spine.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

French Fries said:


> I don't think I've ever had beef spine.


I've never seen it for sale.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

butzy said:


> ...
> 
> I agree with Kaneo: over boiled cabbage is just awful, but Kaneo, this thread might just get you over your aversion /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif


K~girl here, butzy, I do really like cabbage, just not my Mother's over cooked dishes, she BOILS everything to DEATH, veg, meat, EVERYTHING to mush, ACK!

Speaking of, this is what we had for dinner last night, just so happened, Hawaiian Kalua-style pork with steamed (not boiled to within an inch of it's life) green head cabbage and sweet white onions, DH and I like our veg done to a crisp-tender...





  








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One of out favorite dishes, for sure!


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

I might have to make this dish at the restaurant. Broccoli grilled over oak is pretty unbeatable.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

phatch said:


> I've never seen it for sale.


Well, oxtail is part of the spine, so that would do, I guess.


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

I'm starting to really like this challenge, I must say. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of my cabbage rolls. However, seeing that I'm going mushroom hunting tomorrow morning, I paid a visit at the marketplace this morning instead of the usual Saturday and incidentally one of my favourite growers had several different kinds of BEAUTIFUL peppers - dark green, light green, white, yellow, reddish, sweet, hot, long-and-thin, thick-and-wrinkly - you name it and he had it. So I bought about three pounds of a nice mix, about two pounds of tomatoes and two equally beautiful cabbages.

Here I will note that there are - at least here - generally three kinds of white cabbage - the early variety that grows in spring and summer, the autumn variety that is ball-shaped and is suited more for sauerkraut making or anything where you don't need whole leaves, and finally the rather flat variety from which leaves separate easily. Of course, all three can be used for cabbage rolls, but the latter is preferable and most practical. I will take the pictures this weekend.

Also, let's not forget that it's not just white cabbage that can be made into cabbage rolls. Of what we would call cabbage, there are at least three more options. Fermented leaves from whole fermented cabbages are traditional from Balkans up north (one of our Serbian members once posted a beautiful photo of these sarmi baked in a clay pot). Savoy cabbage is also stunning in this way - e.g. the basic Polish gołąbki stuffing of ground meat, butter-fried onions, milk-soaked bread and some of those ''hunter's'' spice mixtures (they would contain e.g. marjoram, caraway, black pepper, coriander, allspice, juniper, bay leaf), baked with water or stock is great. And at least in the Polish part of Silesia they also have a recipe for red cabbage rolls stuffed with sausage and all kinds of good things. This is just scratching the surface. I will be making one or two more variations on this beautiful melody of cabbage rolls.

Then of course, there are soups. And here I'll be patriotic, but I think when it comes to sauerkraut soups, there are two true greats - the famous Russian shchi and the relatively unknown Slovak kapustnica. And I dare challenge you shchi, I think our soup is better! The main ingredients are pork (and all kinds of it - on-the-bone, smoked or fresh, sausage, offal - even lungs sometimes), sauerkraut and the juice, a wealth of wild mushrooms and prunes (although there are versions without them, I'm a firm believer in adding prunes to kapustnica).  And I'll be definitely making this, I'll try to make the best kapustnica ever.

And so much more, so much more! I can't wait!


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

GeneMachine said:


> Well, oxtail is part of the spine, so that would do, I guess.


Can replace spine with oxtail and/or ossobucco.


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

*Cauliflower tempura*

If florets are cut small you don't need to blanche them.





  








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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

*Penne rigate with broccoli and lardons*





  








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I eat them almost raw. No blanching.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

ordo said:


> *Penne rigate with broccoli and lardons*
> 
> I eat them almost raw. No blanching.


Looks to me like a simple dish that was perfectly executed. I love food like that. I'll have to try that pasta dish one night, doesn't look like it would take too long to prepare. I see you plated it with the dry chili - what kind of chili is that? Do you actually eat it or is it just to give some heat to the dish? I sometimes get dried chilis like that in the chinese food I order out, and I never know if I'm supposed to such on them, bite into them, or simply discard them. So I typically do a little bit of the three. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Thanks FF. I don't eat the chili, tho i could. I buy them fresh and dry them myself. It's just to infuse the olive oil with a little hot touch. Used in my kitchen on a daily basis.





  








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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Thanks for the reply Ordo, very, very interesting. It's always fascinating to hear about other people's ways of doing things. I'd never put a whole dry chili in my food, and when I buy too many chilis and they start drying, I throw them away. No more! Next time I'll just let them continue to dry, and think of your suggestion to use them in my cooking. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Just bringing in my own chili harvest - got some drying as well. Some others are being salted right now, Hunanese style. (Which will play a role in some very simple and straightforward, but really nice Chinese cabbage dish I shall present later).

Ordo, those penne look absolutely great, by the way!!

Hopefully, I will have some time on the weekend, so my first entries will show up soon.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Slayertplsko said:


> Yes, I blanch it whole and you're right, I do cut part of the core out, you know, that tough root. The leaves come off easily whole (except for a few that might get torn). You then need to cut off the thick central stem of each leaf as this way it will be much easier to roll them tightly. There's no need to tie them or anything, just roll tightly and stack them next to one another. You can do one to three layers this way and either simmer on the stove or bake in the oven. I prefer the latter, especially if I use my clay baker and then I go for 3-5 hours, nice and slow. And if I wait for the next day to eat, it's the ultimate comfort food.
> 
> My favourite way so far is this:
> STUFFING: 1 lbs. minced meat (I prefer pork), two to three onions, two cloves of garlic, rice (soaked in hot water for 5 minutes), good-quality sweet paprika (at least 1 tbsp. or to taste), one bread roll or kaiser bun, milk, lard. Cut up and soak the bun in warm milk until it's totally soggy. Fry the onions, chopped, in lard until they start to get golden brown, add chopped garlic and let it cook a bit more, add the paprika, stir and off the heat with it. Now mix the fried onions with the meat and the soaked bun and add some rice (I can't tell you how much, but don't add to much - less is more here). You may also mix in a few chopped tomatoes (or even fry them with the onions) and also perhaps some chopped parsley and/or dill. Season well with salt and pepper.
> ...


Yummy lard


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

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Steamed broccoli and kale (I give a bit of freshly grated nutmeg to the kale)

simply done with EVOO, S&P and garlic;

alongside is oven roasted pork loin topped with diced hot cherry peppers.





  








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The vinegar, salt and heat from the peppers

really set everything on the plate off nicely,

and of course anytime I have copious amounts of garlic,

_I'm happy_.


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## dcarch (Jun 28, 2010)

Cabbage family, not very glamorous vegetables. Oh well, they are cheap.

dcarch

Stuffed napa cabbage





  








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Roasted cauliflower





  








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Another stuffed cabbage





  








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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Koukouvagia said:


> Haha I didn't see that one coming! It's gonna be one smelly gassy month lol! Just to be clear, are we talking brassica and cruciferous? Is that the same family?


im wondering the same...i'm on holiday in New Orleans and experimenting with turnip greens for the first time...made a pie with sautéed potatoes,onions and turnip greens I'd like to submit


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

Koukouvagia said:


> So here is a list of a few of the options we have in this challenge, just to make it clear.
> [h2]List Of Cruciferous Vegetables Including Brassica Vegetables[/h2]
> Here's a list of cruciferous vegetables: the four species of Brassica (a genus in the Cruciferous family) and the other cruciferous vegetables.
> 
> ...


try this one posted by miss kk, bug, it was also confirmed by butzy, our host this month


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Chris, I knew it!

You had to be the first one to come with brussels sprouts.

I haven't had them for years. Had to eat them as a kid, so I would quarter them and swallow them with water. Eventually I was excused 

KK

What an interesting combination of ingredients!

Your picture looks fine to me!

And thanks for posting a list of the edible members of the brassica family /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif

Ordo,

i think I am going to credit the cauliflower garlic confit as a combined entry by you and Siduri /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

It looks very appetising!

And that daikon-beef spine soup, how original is that!

Like many others here, I have never cooked with beef spine, but obviously I have with oxtail (as some others have kindly pointed out is part of the spine)

You are on a roll here with your entries:

What batter do you use for your cauliflower tempura? And at what temperature do you fry it?

Brocoli-bacon-pasta: nothing can be bad if it has bacon /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif

FF

You cannot go wrong with coleslaw isn't it?

Especially with homemade mayo

K-girl:

The first kale entry!

We always only ate kale after the first frost had gone over it. Just mashed with potatoes and rookworst to the side. (yes I know, it sounds like the way we eat sauerkraut, traditional dutch food can be quite bland)

Dcarch

That looks so stunning!

Almost too pretty to eat.

I wish I could plate like that

Little side track to chili's:

Love them. I eat them fresh and if I got too many, I'll dry them.

I then sometimes use them for Thai red chili paste (after soaking), or I grind them into chili powder.

Haven't used them whole yet. Sounds like a plan as well!

K-girl:

That just looks like comfort food - deluxe!

Slayer:

I am looking forward to more of your entries.

So many dishes from your part of the world that I am totally unfamiliar with. Sauerkraut soup? I have only had sauerkraut mashed with potatoes as is traditional in the part of the world where I grew up (the Netherlands). Some people would put raisins and canned mandarin parts in it. I never liked that, prefered my sauerkraut with rookworst (smoked sausage) and spek (bacon).

And I can just imagine cabbage rolls made with red cabbage! They gotta look beautiful!


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

@ordo; your cauliflower tempura and penne with broccoli are so tempting, very nice dishes.


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

Alright I got a dish for ya'll later today, got the day off. Random sidenote: I saw at some restaurant they deep fry a whole cauliflower head in duck fat, so good.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

View media item 65535
Watermelon Radishes, English cucumbers, Sweet White Onions,

local cocktail tomatoes, a little crisp romaine lettuce

and my house-made vinaigrette with LARGE amounts of garlic and S&P


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Kgirl that's the kind of salad that makes me salivate!


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Stir-fry some minced pork, season with rice wine, light and dark soy sauce and salt:





  








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Mix with blanched and chopped cabbage, add sesame oil and black pepper:





  








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Bring a cup of water to the boil, add some peanut oil and stir in 1 and a quarter cup of flour, knead the dough when cooled down, form it to a roll and cut it to pieces:





  








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Flatten and fill:





  








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Fold, steam and serve:





  








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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

I dedicate this dish to Chris. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

*Coq au Vin with Glazed Onions, Sauteed Mushrooms, Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Bacon*

- Dice bacon and place in a cold pan with minced garlic. 

- Slowly render the fat until the bacon is caramelized. 

- Cut the stalk side of the sprouts and make an X in it with your knife (so it cooks faster and doesn't stay tough).

- Add the raw brussel sprouts to the bacon fat and cook slowly.





  








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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

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Pickled okra, seared cauliflower, arugula fluid gel, radish sprouts, roasted long beans, smokey purple hull peas. Everything was really nice, except for the broken fluid gel /img/vbsmilies/smilies/crying.gif. I added some spinach to supplement the arugula I had, who knew that spinach breaks down gels? The inspiration for this one was Texas BBQ, but I wanted it to be vegetarian. I boiled the peas with some liquid smoke and it really pushed that Texas BBQ smokeyness. Pickles are a big part of BBQ here as well, and Okra is in season. I got these rather big Okra fully knowing it may be inedible. (the bigger the okra, there is a chance it's hard and woody) Luckily, the pickling process + cooking the ever living hell out of it remedied the situation. The radish sprouts brought a burst of spice, potent little suckers. The long beans and cauliflower brought tasty caramelized veg flavor. Overall very happy with it, I'll be breaking out another dish tomorrow.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

mise said:


> Pickled okra


Are those 10" okras or what? I don't think I've ever seen an okra be longer than 2 or 3 inches before! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

French Fries said:


> Are those 10" okras or what? I don't think I've ever seen an okra be longer than 2 or 3 inches before!


Yea I try not to plate too stuffy, sometimes I will get a little more symmetrical though.

Oh, you haven't seen anything.





  








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Okra is really amazing. When they get to around 4-5 inches, that is the perfect time to harvest them. Within like 2 hours of being perfect they go to being inedible and huge, like the one in the picture haha. I used to work at a restaurant that had a garden, it was amazing to watch.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

We grew okra the first time this year. It didn't really come on at once so we ended up freezing the pods until there was enough to feed us. 3 inches was the common size, but there were some that went 6-7 before we found them under the leaves. They get a little seedy at that size imho.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

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Namasu, a Japanese salad of pickled vegetables, very refreshing on a plate lunch.

I make this dish alot here in Arizona to remind us of home.

Super easy, slice-

Cucumbers

Carrots

Sweet white onions

Daikon

add rice vinegar, sugar, ginger root, salt and water, cover and refrigerate for the day





  








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Drain and serve with shoyu chicken (also easy-chicken poached in soy sauce, beer, water, garlic and ginger), rice and steamed baby bok choy


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Some kale simmering away for dinner. bacon fat, sliced garlic, some chicken stock, salt and pepper. Simmer it about an hour.





  








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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

phatch, I've never cooked kale this way, this it still a crisp tender or soft?


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

kaneohegirlinaz said:


> namasu.jpeg
> 
> 
> 
> ...


K-girl, thanks a lot for sharing this super easy recipe. One of the dishes we make on a regular basis here is philipino chicken adobo and it looks a lot like your Shoyu chicken (but no beer: soy sauce, vinegar, LOTS of garlic (I usuually put a whole head), bay leaves, black pepper. And of course I typically serve it with white rice and pan-steamed bok choy. I believe those pickled vegetables would go well with it - I'll have to give it a try.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

FF, the namasu works beautifully with the richness of the chicken.  I LOVE chicken or pork adobo, very similar to the Portuguese Vinha d'alhos… oh man, I haven’t made either dish for the longest time.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Can't have a cabbage challenge without Kimchi!

Napa cabbages fresh from garden:





  








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Shredded and salted, left overnight in the fridge and drained. Julienned carrots, spring onions, sugar, garlic, ginger, dried chilis, soy sauce and fish sauce to go with it:





  








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Mix well and place into the fermenting pot:





  








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What comes out of it shall be reported in two weeks.





  








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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

*Choucroute my way* (Sauerkraut in German money)

This yesterday's dish is inspired on "choucroute garnie", except I have only 2 mouths to feed, including mine. The other mouth doesn't like choucroute, so it's all going to be a lot less than the original. Also, if you use sauerkraut and don't like the first syllables of that, which is "sauer" -meaning acidic- then you might like this. I don't like the "sauer" bit either in sauerkraut.

Nowadays you will find choucroute canned or vacuum packed. Both will work. I used just one 500 gram (1lb) vacuum packed choucroute. Normally you would have meats in it like; ham hock, pork shoulder, salted pork belly, saucisses à cuire, Frankfurter sausages. I used fresh slices of pork belly, artisanal sausages to be panfried, pork cutlet. I also got rid of the Riesling wine which can be very acidic and used a nice white Côte du Rhône instead. Juniper berries, cloves and bay leaf are essential.

To make a long story short; it's a matter of building a few layers as you can see, then cover and put in the oven for 1,5 hours, add potatoes, another 45 minutes in the oven, et voilà... no harsh acidity and just right for the other mouth to have tasted more than I anticipated.

First, put the choucroute in a sieve to drain. Then squeeze gently to remove most of the remaining liquid!!!

*Building the layers*; *1*. a little sweated onion and garlic, then choucroute, s&p.* 2*. Raw carrot, half an onion with 3 cloves in it, bay leaf, 4 juniper berries, pork cutlet (better to use cuts of shoulder part).* 3*. Cover with choucroute, s&p and the rest of the sweated onion and garlic *4*. Add pork belly. *5*. Pour 150 ml of wine and 75 ml of water over it. And cover.

Cook for 90 minutes (at least 60 minutes longer if you use a whole small precooked ham hock). Add unpeeled potatoes, cover and cook for another 45 minutes. Bon appétit!





  








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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

So many good dishes!! So as promised, I'm uploading a picture of my Hungarian-style cabbage rolls with pork-and-rice stuffing, baked for over four hours in an unglazed Romertopf clay baker with tomatoes, peppers and bacon, so here is my take on the classic *töltött káposzta*:





  








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Now I still have about 3 kilos of cabbage and have to decide what to do with it. A few possibilities come to mind:

1, kapustníky, or cabbage buns. The filling consists of fried shredded cabbage and may be sweet (with sugar and cinnamon) or savoury (with caraway and lots of black pepper, perhaps bacon, perhaps even wild mushrooms). The buns may be baked or deep-fried in lard.

2, cabbage strudel, made in Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and simply around this part of the world, can be made with a sweet or a savoury filling

3, pierogi (Polish) or pirohy (Slovak) where the filling may be just boiled and pureed cabbage mixed with lots of black pepper and chopped dill, or fried cabbage with braised wild mushrooms. K-girl, you might be put off by the idea of cabbage puree, but trust me, they taste great (perhaps a good amount of black pepper and dill is responsible). Of course, served with bacon nuggets, fried onion rings and sour cream.

4, layered cabbage, which is a fantastic dish, but uses up a lot of lard is you decide to make the version with shredded cabbage (i.e. not sauerkraut). It's a layered baked dish of layers of cabbage, rice, pork ragout, sour cream and again cabbage, rice, ragout, again cabbage and finally a nice layer of thick sour cream again, perhaps topped with rashers of streaky bacon; and baked. The cabbage can be braised sauerkraut (braised in lard, a little water, with a good amount of black pepper and some crushed caraway), in which case one would also add sliced smoked sausage as an extra layer, or made with fresh cabbage that is shredded, boiled a bit and then fried in lard until it's nice and sweet; it's precisely this procedure that requires quite a good amount of lard, so it's not exactly cheap. The ragout also tends to differ whether it's the sauerkraut version or the white cabbage version. For the sauerkraut version, I sauté some pork cubes in lard, take them out, sauté some onions, then a little garlic and a good amount of paprika (I always add a bit of smoked pimentón agridulce, too), perhaps a chopped chili or a pinch of cayenne, return the meat to the pan, add water, salt, pepper, cover and braise. For the other version I chop the meat fine (see below), sauté some onions, add the meat, sauté it together and then add chopped tomatoes (canned are fine), salt, pepper and a couple of thyme sprigs and simmer uncovered for some time. Rice has to be cooked, but left a bit tougher (so use a bit less water). The sauerkraut version prevails in Hungary, where it's known under the name of *kolozsvári rakott káposzta*, whereas the other version (or dishes very similar to it) seems to be more common in Romania, where it most probably originated (Kolozsvár is Hungarian for Cluj) as yet another variation on the broader moussaka theme of Balkans and eastern Mediterranean and is indeed sometimes called *musaca de varză*. I certainly count it among the greatest dishes of old Europe and urge you to give either version a try.

I can't decide.

Anyway, out of pure necessity I revived the ancient method of mincing meat. Nowadays you'll use electric meat grinder. Well, the knives of mine are too blunt and I was to lazy to have them sharpened. I did already have some meat in the freezer and wanted to use that up, so buying minced meat at the butcher's wasn't an option. I have always dreaded mincing meat with knife, but it's so easy. It is all about technique; which actually doesn't require any practice, only knowing what to do (which I didn't before yesterday). You need a large chef's knife (which we all have) and a heavy wooden chopping board (which we also have). If you have two such knives, even better. Sharpen them. Now slice the meat into small cubes and start chopping (not cutting, not slicing, but chopping - think of a timpanist playing tremolo). It's all more about speed than anything else. I had all the meat for those cabbage rolls chopped in no time. Rhythmically chopping with speed is all that it takes. I just thought it might be useful.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Chris - Niiice choucrute. That, obviously, was an essential entry for this challenge! Since I used my one fermenting pot for the kimchi already, I can just hope that the second one I ordered arrives in time so I can show my way to make the Sauerkraut itself.

slayertplsko - We have something similar to your nr. 4 here in northern Bavaria, called Krautbraten (cabbage roast) locally, made with white cabbage. I will probably present that one later  Those cabbage rolls look beautiful, too!


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Very nice recipes, and a great variety of approaches. This thread is like taking a culinary course on Brassica Genus.


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

*Brussels sprouts gratin*

Old recipe. Halve the brussels sprouts and sautée with bacon.





  








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Add bechamel and a panko crust. Bake.





  








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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

GeneMachine said:


> choucrute... an essential entry for this challenge! Since I used my one fermenting pot for the kimchi already, I can just hope that the second one I ordered arrives in time so I can show my way to make the Sauerkraut itself.


Please do, Gene. I am kind of hoping others will post their recipes for choucroute or sauerkraut! I'm very sure you have a nice one too, I'm looking forward to see it/them posted here!


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

GeneMachine said:


> Chris - Niiice choucrute. That, obviously, was an essential entry for this challenge! Since I used my one fermenting pot for the kimchi already, I can just hope that the second one I ordered arrives in time so I can show my way to make the Sauerkraut itself.
> 
> slayertplsko - We have something similar to your nr. 4 here in northern Bavaria, called Krautbraten (cabbage roast) locally, made with white cabbage. I will probably present that one later  Those cabbage rolls look beautiful, too!


You mean this?

http://www.marions-kochbuch.de/rezept/5171.htm

Now, that's something!! Lecker!


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Yes, that's it. The family recipe I am working from is a bit different, not rolled up, but rather layered and baked in a dish. I'll make some later this month, for this evening, I have something different already sitting on the stove


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Last nights dinner, Nothing traditional. Stuffing of Italian sausage, ground pork, ground chuck, onion, garlic, basil, cooked rice, panko & parmesan.

Topped with marinara & provolone.





  








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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Balsamico-braised red cabbage, potatoe puree, braised veal cheeks, sauteed porcini and shallots:





  








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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

The dishes here are fantastic !

I made a soup, a simple soup. Let's call it a *Harvest Soup.*





  








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A saute of mixed veg, including cabbage and cauliflower ( les herbes de provence, oregano, garlic , beef stock )





  








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added chick peas then 6 large containers of vegetable juice





  








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later added one cup of crushed barley to really thicken it up.


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

Just a heads up. The dish I made for this month helped me get a job with a Chef who has represented America in the Bocuse D'or, thanks for the inspiration.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

mise said:


> pewp 020.JPG
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RIGHT ON MISE!!!

Congratulation! WOW!! I call that the _real_ winner, landing a gig from a dish that you made here at CT!!!

That's fantastic!


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

mise said:


> Just a heads up. The dish I made for this month helped me get a job with a Chef who has represented America in the Bocuse D'or, thanks for the inspiration.


Wow, happy to hear that! Congrats mise, you deserve it!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

thank you Koukou.

Mise, you dish has great style. No wonder you got the job...Good luck


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Once again my American vacation is full of experimenting with food we dont get in Scotland. In Alabama it was catfish. in Louisiana I found a huge bunch of turnip greens and after chatting with another shopper in win dixie how she would deal with it, i came up with this pie.

Its an all butter pastry balled and pushed into a foil tray and blind baked. (Not much in the way of equipment cos were in rented holiday properties)

Sautéed thinly sliced russet potato with onion and garlic. cooled and layer over the base.

1lb turnip greens were washed and washed and washed...blimey they're sandy...sauted with onion and garlic...squeezed out and mixed into 4 eggs, 1/2 pint sour cream, a splash of milk,and a pkt of grated quesadilla cheese. pour over and bake at 375. No herbs or spices. just S&P I just wanted to see what the turnip greens tasted like and me and OH are well impressed.





  








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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

mise said:


> Just a heads up. The dish I made for this month helped me get a job with a Chef who has represented America in the Bocuse D'or, thanks for the inspiration.


Congratulations!!


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Congrats to mise!

*Szechuan beef tenderloin with broccoli and mushrooms*





  








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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

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LUNCH!

Minestrone soup with a nice bunch of kale (usually I use spinach)

and a tomatoes (I missed them somehow in the snapshot), and every veg I had in the house!

I keep chicken broth and cooked beans (from the dried state) in the deep freeze.

Regretfully this is served without grated cheese or EVOO on top, OR bread, _SIGH_

as I would normally serve this dish, as we are getting rid of those couple of extra pounds we gained on our trip...


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Wow K-girl. Your mise en place puts me to shame. Nice soup!


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Nice looking soup!/img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

DH said "this isn't minestrone, there's no pasta in it!" (dear, we can't have pasta right now) Okay so call it vegetable soup them it still taste good /img/vbsmilies/smilies/bounce.gif


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

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An oven roasted cruciferous vegetable timbale with turnip, rutabaga, kolhrabi, and eggplant seasoned with cardamom and coriander. Tossed with pomegranate arils, walnuts, parsley and a pomegranate red wine vinaigrette. served with a flank steak with a pomegranate demi sauce and a roasted red pepper and white cheddar polenta.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

French Fries said:


> *Coq au Vin with Glazed Onions, Sauteed Mushrooms, Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Bacon*
> 
> - Dice bacon and place in a cold pan with minced garlic.
> 
> ...


French Fries, you had me at "Brussel Sprouts and bacon". Awesome awesome awesome.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

I didn't check the thread for a couple of days and it's amazing what has been posted so far.
I've been trying to respond to every dish posted, but I don't know if I can keep up with that!

I'm glad to see that Sauerkraut and Kimchi have been entered!!!!

Slayer: You mention a sweet cabbage dish. That sounds interesting.
So do the other dishes. Looking forward to more entries!

K-girl: nice salad and pickle.
I've never heard of watermelon radishes. Do they taste just like normal radishes?

Gene: That's my kind of dish. I like using cabbage as a stir fry.
Have you ever tried making nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice)? I normally use cabbage in that one.

FF: that's a good looking coq au vin, and those sprouts are really bright! Nice sounding combo.

Mise: a very interesting dish, and nice plating. Those Okra are huge!

Phatch: what did you eat with the kale? 

Ordo: Another nice entry: Brussels sprouts are starting to feature properly.
I thought most people didn't like them.

ChefBuba: I like that idea: It's like a cabbage caneloni (spelling?)

Petals: That looks like a soup that's good for both winter and summer time. Very nice!


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Mise!

Great news!

Congratulations /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif

(didn't see it earlier as I am answering page by page due to regular problems with my internet)

Borghut: good to see you entering as well!

Turnip greens got a lot of taste by themselves isn't it.

They remind me a bit of what they do here instead of spinach: namely cucumber leaves, stripped of their veins. Much mre spice and tasty than spinach!

Ordo: another Asian style dish that really appeals to me

K-girl: nice minestrone-free minestrone soup. Looks good.

Cheflayne: beautiful plating as always and the first kohlrabi entry. Well done


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## chefhere (Oct 8, 2013)

Hi Everyone Im new Here!!

Im Chef Ashonti! 

So how do we play we just upload our plate pics??


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

ChefHere said:


> So how do we play we just upload our plate pics??


Welcome to Cheftalk Chef Ashonti! Yup, that's it, just upload a pic of your dish! If you want you can also describe the dish a bit.


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Welcome to Chef Talk, Chef Ashonti. A personal question if you don't mind:

are you by any chance from Ghana?

Mike


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

... Many Mahalos to chefbuba & ordo!

and Ms. Hostess butzy, the watermelon radish tastes just a little less sharp, but mainly the same.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

From the Asian dishes back to home. Beef roulades with cabbage stuffing. The players: Home smoked juniper bacon, potatoes and swiss chard fresh from the garden, home pickled cucumbers, onions, garlic, mustard cabbage, and of course, roulades, still off stage:





  








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Fry the chopped onions, garlic, bacon and cabbage, add sour cream, mustard and the pickles, salt, pepper and fill the roulades:





  








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Roll.





  








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Brown, braise with bavarian beer, and serve with the chard and sauteed potato strips:





  








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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

That looks fantastic.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

What cut of beef did you use for the rouladen?


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

I need to ask my butcher there, phatch. This particular cut is commonly sold as "roulade" around here. From the look and texture, I would strongly suspect that it is from the round, though.


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

Beautiful, Gene. How do you make your pickles?


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Thanks 

As for the pickles - I boil a decent white vine vinegar, add some mustard seeds, dill, black pepper, bay leaf, turbinado sugar and salt. Pour it over the cucumbers in the pickling glasses and process for 7 minutes. As for the amounts, don''t ask me - to taste...


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

That looks great - I had some sort of roulade in mind for the European use of cabbage.  But for now I'm focusing on Asian.  Put some cabbage in brine last night, tonight it gets the daikon, salted shrimp and such, should be posting my entry in about a week.

mjb.


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

Pork jowl (cheek) just went down in the sous vide cooker, I'll have a dish for ya'll in 36 hours. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif I was gonna make a tutorial on how to clean jowl, but I forgot like an idiot.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

GeneMachine said:


> From the Asian dishes back to home. Beef roulades with cabbage stuffing. The players: Home smoked juniper bacon, potatoes and swiss chard fresh from the garden, home pickled cucumbers, onions, garlic, mustard cabbage, and of course, roulades, still off stage


You had me at Home smoked juniper bacon /img/vbsmilies/smilies/talker.gif In fact even before I read the text I saw it on your picture and thought it looked outstanding!


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## tracycook299 (Oct 9, 2013)

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Definitely nothing fancy. Cabbage salad: Chicken, ramen noodles, cabbage and dressing. Something my mom would always make for me and my siblings. Saw cabbage and thought it would be nice to enjoy something from my childhood.


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

GeneMachine said:


> Thanks
> 
> As for the pickles - I boil a decent white vine vinegar, add some mustard seeds, dill, black pepper, bay leaf, turbinado sugar and salt. Pour it over the cucumbers in the pickling glasses and process for 7 minutes. As for the amounts, don''t ask me - to taste...


Have you ever tried the dish with lacto-fermented pickles? If so, which do you prefer?

By the way, that bacon looks gorgeous, too!


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

mise said:


> Pork jowl (cheek) just went down in the sous vide cooker, I'll have a dish for ya'll in 36 hours. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif I was gonna make a tutorial on how to clean jowl, but I forgot like an idiot.


Oh yes!!! Can't wait to see it. I posted a dish for pork cheeks with potato and Brussels sprouts in the pork challenge; http://www.cheftalk.com/t/76411/challenge-july-2013-pork/120#post_434895

@Gene; love your roulade, but as a Belgian, I would have gone for frites instead of your potato strips, you know how we are.


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## azzo (Sep 30, 2013)

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White cabbage lightly sauted in olive oil with some pancetta.

Another version sauted is to add finely chopped garlic and ginger to the olive oil then sprinkle a little brown sugar when adding salt and pepper.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

tracycook299 said:


> 1009031739.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Cabbage adds a lot of crunch, moisture and works well shredded in sandwiches. I picked up the practice from my sister, also in a chicken sandwich. She'd roast boneless skinless chicken thigh seasoned with old bay. Cool, then slice for pita sandwiches with ranch dressing and cabbage. Surprisingly good and simple.


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Yesterday's lunch special was a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich on a toasted hoagie roll with blue cheese jalapeño slaw. ( green & red cabbage, vinaigrette, red onion, dab of mayo, blue cheese crumbles)
Forgot to take a picture....


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

I will think up something more original and current but in the meantime.......
You may have seen this photo before in 'galleries'. they were part of a party i catered a few weeks ago...

1) red and green cabbage, baby bok choy,broccoli,carrots,cauliflower,scallions, mint 
and sushi rice spring rolls
Dipping sauces were a tamari based rosemary-ginger sauce 
an 'asian'pesto(spinach,scallions, pickled ginger, basil, thai sweet chile, la-yu, garlic)





  








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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

They look great Joey and they must of been a hit with your client.

I made this today: *Salt Cod & Cabbage*





  








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Pea Purée

Salt Cod

Chou frisé

Red Cabbage

Topped with a Butternut fritter

Plated on a lemon cream sauce with white asparagus tips


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

@slayer - Never tried it with lactic acid fermented cucumbers. To be honest, never used them for cooking in any way, Only as an addition to charcuterie plates. My vinegar pickles are more on the sweet-mild side of things, I think salted cucumbers would be too harsh there.

@petals - I need to source or make some salt cod!

For today, I stay with the cuisine of my home. Very basic, peasant stuff, but absolutely great for autumn and winter. Of course, we can elevate it a bit over the starving peasant level...

I made Krautfleckerl. Pasta with cabbage and bacon. The players: Once more the home-smoked bacon, onions in thin half-rings, garlic, cabbage, dried flat pasta, parsley and some home-made chicken stock:





  








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Crush the pasta sheets into small pieces - you can of course use fresh-made pasta, but here, I rather prefer the texture of dried sheets. Cook, but leave it harder then al dente. Brown the onions, bacon and garlic in lard, add some brown sugar and let it caramelize. Add the cabbage and sautee quickly, then add the chicken stock and let it simmer. Add the pre-cooked pasta and finish it. Salt, pepper, a pinch of saffron and some parsley. Serve with a drizzle of good pumpkin seed oil:





  








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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

As an addendum: To all of you who started drooling over that bacon: While I think my smoking efforts were not completely in vain, the praise has to go to my butcher and a collective of farmers that supply him. These guys have taken on the task of preserving the Swabian-Hallian country pig, a race that was nearly extinct 20 years ago. As you can see from the pictures, those piggies really put on the fat - which really wasn't in high demand during the last decades. Nevertheless, they rescued the breed. And I guess you can imagine how all that fat comes out when properly smoked and when the pigs were pastured in orchards in the late summer, gorging on dropped apples. Beautiful. Those guys are the real heroes in this story!


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

@ Gene: Hmmm, Krautfleckerl, I didn't know this dish existed in Germany, too. As I'm thinking about it, etymology seems to point to a German origin - the word Fleck definitely sounds German and it's probably this word that the Slovak word fľak ''spot'' comes from, and hence fliačky, as we call pasta with cabbage. Anyway, my favourite pasta dough for this dish is made from eggs and coarsely-ground flour. It's got a texture very similar to dried pasta (and can be dried, too, of course), completely unlike northern Italian pasta. It's the coarse grind that gives it that rough texture.

You're probably right about the pickles. Actually we usually eat fermented pickles straight away, the only time I used them in cooking was when making rassolnik (which was a success - a great classic Russian soup).

There's one more variation on the cabbage roll theme inside my oven at the moment. I tried to choose a version as different from the previous one as possible, while staying within the limits of Central Europe. I bought a pound of wild mushrooms (half porcini, half other boletes), sautéed two onions in butter, then the finely chopped mushrooms for about 15 minutes. When it's cool, add one egg, two bread rolls soaked in milk and chopped dill, season with salt and pepper. So that's the stuffing and I didn't want to overdo it with anything else. This time I used Savoy cabbage instead of the more usual white cabbage. Instead of sour cream, I'm going to make this sauce: fry some onions in butter, add flour and make brown roux; add the water that you'd used for blanching cabbage and simmer, stirring occasionally, on very low heat for 50-60 minutes. I might add some sour cream at the end, we'll see. Also, if you've got some stock, even better. But I don't think it's worth it to make stock just for this dish. And instead of bread, this kind of stuffed cabbage is much better served with potato puree.

I'll take and upload the pictures tomorrow.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Looking forward to your pictures!

Actually, "Fleck" means "spot" in German, too. I think the dish travelled around in the whole Austrian-Hungarian Empire. I picked it up from my grandmother, who was born in Bohemia. You are right that it is not really a German dish as such - you'll find it only at the southern fringes of Bavaria, in the alps, bordering Austria. Or, in my case, handed down via the Bohemian way.

Also, my girlfriend just told me that "fliačky" is the diminutive, from what she learnt from her Czech studies . Same here with "Fleck" and "Fleckerl", at least in the Bavarian dialect.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Nicko said:


> French Fries, you had me at "Brussel Sprouts and bacon". Awesome awesome awesome.


Thank you Nicko!! Just saw your comment now, coming from you that means a lot! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

*Grilled steak with wine reduction and butter braised red radish*





  








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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Ordo, I'm alone at my computer but I couldn't help utter a small "hmmmm" when I saw your pics. Looks incredible. 

I have never ever cooked radishes, didn't even know you could do that... what do cooked radishes taste like?


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

French Fries said:


> I have never ever cooked radishes, didn't even know you could do that... what do cooked radishes taste like?


Indescribable. A new life experience I'm not yet sure about. 
The steak was superb. I used the last spoon of glace de viande for the reduction.


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Gene and Ordo : Nice looking dishes.

@ Gene: Can you please tell me what this means *"Or, in my case, handed down via the Bohemian way."*

@ Ordo: Oh that glace de viande......


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Petals - just a bit of cryptic, abbreviated culinary history. I originally called that dish "local", which is not really true, me being from northern Bavaria. The dish probably originated in northern Italy / South Tyrol and then spread through the alpine region, including southern Bavaria. That's not were I picked it up, though - it also spread throughout the whole Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is why slayer knows it under a slovak name which is based on the same linguistic root. And that is how it came to me, via my grandmother who was born in Bohemia, i.e. what is now the north-western part of the Czech republic. Although, if you want to dig into it deeper, the local (culinary) histoy surrounding the town where I was born is even more complicated, because although being located in northern Bavaria, the place actually was an extraterritorial Austrian holding once - remnants of the 30 year war. So we do still have some culinary traditions which actually do not belong into the region.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

French Fries said:


> Ordo, I'm alone at my computer but I couldn't help utter a small "hmmmm" when I saw your pics. Looks incredible.
> 
> I have never ever cooked radishes, didn't even know you could do that... what do cooked radishes taste like?


I second Ordo here - cooking radish takes out the sting from the mustard oils and leaves a sweet and savoury crunchiness that is just divine. Try it!


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Ah ha!  Haluski!  I've been trying to remember the name of the Polish cabbage, bacon and noodle dish I remember from times gone by.

mjb.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Ahh, but Halušky noodles are more thick, scraped from a board or made with a strainer, like German Spätzle


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Whatever leftover veggies I could find in the fridge. I seasoned them with cumin, coriander, fennel and lots of cayenne pepper and roasted them. Served with an extremely lemony/garlicky piece of roasted chicken. I finally got around to using those little squashes.





  








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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

I can have that chicken any day.


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

Just some of my mise for the things to come. I'll have a video and a picture for ya'll.





  








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From top to bottom, left to right:

Tongue of fire beans (coolest name for a food, ever?)

Radish, egg yolks chillin in oil

Brussel sprouts, broccoli

Asparagus ribbons, pea shoots.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Now that looks most promising. Anyone up for opening a betting pool as to what will come out of this?

Addendum: Mise - those tongue of fire beans are called borlotto in italian? At least the borlotto beans in my garden looked exactly like that this year.


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

GeneMachine said:


> Now that looks most promising. Anyone up for opening a betting pool as to what will come out of this?
> 
> Addendum: Mise - those tongue of fire beans are called borlotto in italian? At least the borlotto beans in my garden looked exactly like that this year.


I saw that. From what I read they have quite a few names, I prefer tongue of fire haha.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Hehe. Around here in Germany, they are known as "Feuerbohnen" - fire beans. "Tongue of fire" is definitely the most epic, though


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

It can't be just one recipe with all those veggies and eggs. Mise's mistery!


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

First off, I'd like to thank this thread for giving me inspiration and helping me create the best food to come out of my kitchen thus far. Secondly, check this bad boy out.

The inspiration: Mom's pork chops and vegetable medley. My mom used to always make these breaded pork chops when I was a kid, an absolute favorite of mine. She would always pair it with those vegetable medley steam bag kind of things (which I hated haha). So what I did was cooked a pork cheek sous vide for 36 hours, it was absolute butter. Best piece of meat I have EVER eaten (better than the bone marrow crusted filet mignon I made). Then I took the ingredients to make a breading and stepped it up a little. I cooked a sous vide egg, see video, and made some sour dough bread crumbs out of leftover bread I had. It acted as a sauce and was overall amazing. Then I revamped the vegetable medley. Pea shoots, pickled radish, oven roasted brussels, broccoli cooked in the rendered pork fat, asparagus ribbons (raw), and tongue of fire beans (raw). If you notice the color on the cooked veg, THAT'S where it is at. Gotta get that nice color, you'll never under cook your veg again. Best dish I have ever made.





  








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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

@Mise, that's absolutely beautiful!

@Koukou; fantastic!


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Mise...





  








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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

I'll probably have another dish for ya'll today too. It's a bit more rustic than the last ones I've made. It's a different way to prepare radish, that's all I will say.


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Terrific!


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Mise, loved that video of you cutting into that egg. Food porn! Not only is it nice to see someone cook such good food but to hear the pleasure you got from prepping , cooking, and eating it is infectious. Bravo!


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Food is great but you must combat* VVS!*


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

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The fridge out in the garage smells like rotten, fishy cabbage.

I can hardly wait!

mjb.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

This is how both my dearest husband and I will only eat Brussel Sprouts





  








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Wash the separated leaves, drain well,

sauté quickly in Olive Oil and minced garlic and S&P,

serve crisp-tender

We've eaten this dish two nights in a row now, love it!


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

mise said:


> First off, I'd like to thank this thread for giving me inspiration and helping me create the best food to come out of my kitchen thus far....


Mise, I would be willing to wager that your _boss_ is pretty happy with what your putting out too.

That egg! PERFECT with the pork, genius.

DING DING DING! We have yet another winner here folks! I'm done, I'm out...


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Gene: Beautiful roulades and I agree with the others, that bacon looks stunning. I'll harass you about that in the smoking thread when I got some more time again

That flecker dish is using ingredients I wouldn't have thought of pairing, namely pasta and cabbage.

Thanks to you and Slayer for the background of the dish as well!

Tracycook: Simple and sounds real appetising

Azzo: those colours are so vibrant! Bacon or pancetta and cabbage go so well together

Buba: no picture? It sounds like your entry was worthy of one/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

You'll just have to have another one of those, just for the pic

Durangojo: that looks like the perfect figerfood to me. I like the idea!

Petals: I need to come and take a course in plating with you!

Another beautiful dish. That salt cod and the cabbage really compliment each other.

Ordo: braised radish, how original. I have only ever used braised daikon in a wintery chinese dish and that tasted pretty good. They really took up all the spices in the dish and kept a bit on a tang. Did yours do the same?

KK: what a nice dish! I wouldn't mind some of it right now (although it is even before breakfast time here)

Mise: you are doing it again!

Great dish and superb plating!

K-girl: I like your way of preparing sprouts. Haven't seen them done like that before

And we are now about halfway into the challenge and I realise that I actually haven't even entered any dish yet!

Guys & girls: all entries have been amazing and ranging from simple to complicated, spanning different continents, mains, starters etc.

Keep up the good work/img/vbsmilies/smilies/peace.gif


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

Koukouvagia said:


> ... I finally got around to using those little squashes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Miss KK, how did they taste? I'm going to try and find those...


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

butzy said:


> Gene: Beautiful roulades and I agree with the others, that bacon looks stunning. I'll harass you about that in the smoking thread when I got some more time again


Butzy, that bacon was inspired by _your _comments in the smoking thread.... You started talking about juniper bacon, so I went ahead and made some. Swabian-Hallian pastured pork belly, cured for a week in the usual curing salt/brown sugar mixture with crushed juniper berries, crushed black pepper and bay leaves for flavour, then smoked over beechwood. Hot-smoked in this case, around 70°C . I still lack a proper cold-smoking rig. Project for this winter, I guess


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Blanched cabbage and filet of veal, cut into cubes:





  








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Salt, pepper and wrap it:





  








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Brown in lard:





  








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Remove the meat from the pan, get rid of the string and hold warm. Sautée some onions and carrots in the remaining lard, add pear. Pear brandy. Flambee, We don't need no water, let the ##@!!)# burn!





  








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Deglaze with beef fond and cream, serve with crumbled caramelized chestnuts:





  








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## r6zack (Jul 23, 2012)

Our maple bacon brussels

previousOur



















PlayPrevious
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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

*Ham hock and savoy cabbage*





  








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These ham hocks from our Ardennes region are already cooked and smoked. I poach them submerged in water for around an hour to get rid of the salty and smoky flavor, which is always much too dominant to my taste.

Savoy cabbage is cut in thin strips, cooked in salted water for around 8 minutes, cooled immediately. Then sautéed with onion and bacon, s&p and nutmeg.


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## r6zack (Jul 23, 2012)

ChrisBelgium said:


> *Ham hock and savoy cabbage*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 That cabbage sounds amazing. Trying this tonight.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Gene:

I must be getting old! I need to re-read the smoking thread to check what I said/img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif

beautiful flambeed dish! I just love to flambe!

R6Zack:

Maple and brussels sprouts, interesting combo!

What is the pie you had with it?

Chris:

Onion, bacon, cabbage always works doesn't it!

I would probably add some garlic and maybe chili as well.

I know that ham hock is not the thing to judge here, but smoked ham hock..... How can you not like it!


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

kaneohegirlinaz said:


> This is how both my dearest husband and I will only eat Brussel Sprouts
> 
> Wash the separated leaves, drain well,
> 
> ...


K-girl, thanks for the detailed photos. There's a gastropub around here that serves an incredible pulled pork sandwhich with brussel sprout leaves that look like they were prepared just like you describe, and it's DE-LI-CIOUS. I've been meaning to give it a try one day but it looks a bit time consuming. Still will have to try it and now that I read your post my motivation just went up! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

FF, I 'de-leafed' a dozen large sprouts and it made more than enough for two serves as a side dish... and a pulled pork sammie with these sprouts sounds like it would just be out of this world fantastic!  Is this pub in Cali or France?


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

It was here in SoCal but unfortunately they closed the "pub" - but they still have a food truck. Here's the pulled pork sandwhich - I'm going to miss it!!! (unbe-freaking-lievably good)





  








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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

French Fries said:


> .....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


[h4]MMM![/h4]


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

Just posting that picture made me hungry too. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Blame you FF. I'm hungry now, too. I have some brasied meat there and will make my own sandwich.


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

GeneMachine said:


> Blanched cabbage and filet of veal, cut into cubes:
> 
> Deglaze with beef fond and cream, serve with crumbled caramelized chestnuts:
> 
> ...


Gene, is this a regional dish you made or is it your own inspiration? I bet the chestnut and cabbage are the greatest combo. Very nice dish and it sounds incredibly tasty!

@R6Zack; thanks!


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

kaneohegirlinaz said:


> Miss KK, how did they taste? I'm going to try and find those...


Very sweet, very nice. I'm a squash lover.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Chris - nothing regional, just the result of a brainstorm while shopping at the greengrocer and the butcher on saturday. Some inspiration from a Spanish recipe with beef filet wrapped in cabbage, but that's all they got in common.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

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Rapini, Hot Italian Sausage, Sweet White Onions, a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

all atop whole wheat penne pasta and a snow fall of grated parm to finish off the dish, YUM!

One of our new favorite dishes at our table.


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

GeneMachine said:


> Chris - nothing regional, just the result of a brainstorm while shopping at the greengrocer and the butcher on saturday. Some inspiration from a Spanish recipe with beef filet wrapped in cabbage, but that's all they got in common.


Well, I'm gonna steal your recipe anyway. Thanks Gene!


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

I forgot to take a picture of my dish.. woops. Well I made home made orecchiette with shaved brussel sprouts. Also made some Brazilian cheese bread. If any of ya'll are familiar with Fogo de Chao, you know what i'm talking about.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

mise said:


> Also made some Brazilian cheese bread. If any of ya'll are familiar with Fogo de Chao, you know what i'm talking about.


Oh yeah I know what you mean. I always thought those cheese breads were an evil invention from the restaurant to keep you from eating too much meat... they're addictive!


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

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By Brazilian Cheese bread do you mean Pao de Queijo XD


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Cabbage. Good stuff. Here's some that has been hopped up and been sitting in a light brine overnight:





  








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It was drained and rinsed, then this stuff was added to it:





  








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That's spicy Korean chile powder down to the left, dried, salted shrimp, scallions, garlic, daikon sticks and ginger. Fish sauce in the center bowl. It went into a pot in the garage fridge for about a week. Last night, I got a chunk of pork - an 8 pound hunk of shoulder:





  








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It got a salt and sugar rub, put in a roasting pan and joined the nicely progressing kimchi in the garage for the night. Went into a 300 degree oven for about a total of 7 hours. Here's what it looked like with about 2 hours to go:





  








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What an aroma!

Meanwhile I got some other stuff together:





  








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A handful of the kimchi in the left bowl, rice in the other. Some nice prawns ( head on so my wife can say "Ewww!" when see sees the picture ) and some scallions. Got a head of red cabbage. Blanched some of the bigger leaves for about a minute, put them in a water, vinegar and salt solution for maybe 45 minutes. Took the pork out of the oven, cranked the heat up a couple hundred more degrees and rubbed about half a cup or so of light brown sugar on it, back in the oven for maybe 15 minutes. While it was getting its glaze on, prepared the kimchi and shrimp fried rice and made a bowl of scallion and ginger dipping sauce.

Put a scoopr or two of the fried rice on a plate, some shrimp, dusted with chopped scallion. Rinsed the red cabbage leaves, laid them on the plate. A few nice hunks of the wonderfully delicious bo ssam, a good dose of the scallion and ginger sauce and it was dinner time!





  








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The pork was very tasty. The fresh, crisp red cabbage leaves ( bo ssam usually served in lettuce, but this IS the cabbage challenge ) were a nice textural contrast to the fermented and cooked kimchi cabbage bits.

Trust me, I ate more than what you see on that plate!

mjb.


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

Cauliflower soup for the soul....'A tale of two cauliflowers'
i couldn't decide how to plate this and had no more time to futz around sooo... sometimes you just gotta let it go and get on with the eating....so we did..and it were good
Orange cauliflower was roasted with shallots, blended with vegetable stock, s&p......if i had thyme i would have added it, but so it goes
Purple cauliflower was roasted with garlic, blended with vegetable stock, nutmeg, s&p
Parsnips were boiled in vegetable stock, mixed with a very small amount of cream, s&p
Kale chips were roasted with lemon zest




  








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added cracked pink peppercorns to top


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

@durangojo I had to adjust my screen... that's two different soups in one bowl... genius girlie, genius!

Now, gemme a spoon will ya' /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

Thanks kgirl.....it was fun to make as well as to see it work out mol how i envisioned it.....sometimes it doesn't!
another idea was to make 2 different curried soups in one bowl as well....a thai green curry with the purple cauliflower and a red curry with the orange cauliflower. garnish with a dollop of orange creme fraiche, topped with scallions or carrots or broccoli slaw, but i was out of both time and cauliflower....so it goes.....perhaps another time.

joey


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

Ok, it was bugging me about this idea i had for two curried soups in a bowl and i also felt that while very tasty the first soup duo was a little thick..so back to the drawing board! I used the two cauliflower soups that i had left over and morphed them into: 




  








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I thinned the purple cauliflower soup with a bit of coconut milk, added thai green curry paste and heated it through...i thinned the orange cauliflower soup with coconut milk and added red thai curry paste......garnish was homemade creme fraiche which i had in the fridge so i added pickled ginger and orange zest to it. Topped that with a rainbow slaw of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and red cabbage(from the grocery store). I really liked the soups thinner.....tough choice for me which duo was better...while completely different i liked them both equally. One homey and grassroots and mellow, one thai 'yin yang-y'. ....or is that tai chi? At any rate,i'm glad that's out of my system! 

joey


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

lol , joey they look great XD 

Probably taste wonderful , and well you ended up beating to it , i was gonna do an idian curry cauliflower soup but ya got me XD .


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

KK,
As you well know there are infinite variations of soups as well as infinite variations of curry. Mine were thai and pureed, but a bowl of beautiful yellow indian curry soup with chunks of potatoes,cauliflower, carrots and peas along with that wonderful broth is one of my favorite go to soups that i love to make and eat.....so go for it.....and while you're at it, make some samosas!

joey


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

K-girl:

That's one great pasta dish!

I can imagine that being a family favourite!

Teamfat:

You are making my mouth water!

That Kimchi looks very tasty and that pork.......

I like the red cabbage leaves instead of lettuce. It looks beautiful on the plate, and I am sure it must have tasted great!

Durangojo:

What an original idea and a beautiful presentation!

Awesome!!!!

You guys are going to make it very difficult to pick a winner at the end of the month.

So many good entries!!!!!


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

Gonna make some naan as well XD 

Lol ideas i have a plethra , time not so much XD


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Nice dishes, everyone, as usual!

Today, I am going the minimalist way. A hunanese cabbage dish straight out of the hunger days of the cultural revolution, at least according to Fuchsia Dunlop. Yet, it shows what you can do with just cabbage and how you can bring out its flavour with minimal additions.

The players: Cabbage, salted chilis (those would be from my garden, salted two weeks ago and left to concentrate the aroma and ferment a bit in the meantime), sesame oil and a bit of soy sauce:





  








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Stir fry the chilis until you can really smell them, add the cabbage, stir fry, take off the heat and add a dash of sesame oil and light soy. Serve with rice:





  








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I guess serving it with a rosé Bordeaux is not really compatible to the Cultural Revolution spirit, but rather burgeois, but, well... I am the kind of communist that won't stop until everyone has some Chateau Petrus in his or her cellar. That is the TRUE communist utopia! Well, as long as I get my grubby hands on the Petrus first. One can dream


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Also, the Kimchi I started two weeks ago is ready for serving:





  








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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Great looking Kimchi GM. I wish I had some of that .

As for the





  








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It's all yours !


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

I have a 10 liter fermenting pot full of that, Petals - Just grab a flight to Bavaria and I am sure we can arrange a deal of Kimchi vs. wine


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

A Generous soul you are but I fear something else may find its way on a table.....your quail ! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smoking.gif


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Ehem. Well, that you will have to take up with my girlfriend. I am not allowed to show up in the vicinity of the quail with a knife. They are for laying eggs and being cuddled only at the moment....


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Then the quails shall be discussed no further (they will need time to fatten up anyways) .....i'm so bad.


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

*Gratin of cauliflower and pasta*

Yes you could see this as another variation on Siduri's pasta and cauliflower recipe, so this is once more all her fault /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif.

Start by cutting at least one flat side on cauliflower florets. Fry them, together with 5 whole cloves of garlic, for quite a long time in olive oil without moving them around too much. We want a bit of caramelizing on the cauliflower. After some 15 minutes, add fresh chopped tomatoes. I added lots of s&p and quite a bit of a Moroccan spice mixture for couscous that contains a lot of curcuma (aka turmeric or yellow-root), hence the yellow color in the dish. Add a good half a cup of cream too.The purpose is to braise the cauliflower in the juices that come from the tomatoes; so, cook on a low fire, lid on, until the tip of a knife goes through the cauliflower.

Boil some pasta like penne in this case or whatever pasta you prefer. Mix with the cauliflower preparatio, top with grated parmezan, put in an oven dish and let gratiner.





  








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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

After this post earlier this month http://www.cheftalk.com/t/77738/german-cabbage-and-sausage-dish I've had a vision of a casserole of noodles, cabbage, onions, a little sauce/gravy and some roasty toasty sausages on top.





  








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And this is how I got there. Cut two pounds of kielbasa into 2 inch sections. On the bias is nice. Brown them off to give them some flavor, color and presentation factor.





  








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Remove them to your casserole dish. In the same pan, melt some butter, add 2 onions in julienne, season and cook until translucent and a bit toasted as well. Seasoning, I went in a sort of paprikash direction.





  








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Add some cabbage, about 4 cups, cut about the same as the noodles you'll use. Season and wilt them down some. I didn't like the noodles I had in my pantry, so I boiled off some no boil lasagna sheets until they were soft. Then trimmed those into my noodles. Then add the noodles and stir them through. I'm still figuring out the camera on my new phone, so the pic is poor. Sorry.





  








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Assemble in your casserole. Pull the sausages up on top to look abundant. Oven to 350, while I build a sauce.





  








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I continued to abuse the paprikash flavor into a simple veloute, Poured over evenly and baked until bubbly.





  








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I chose to serve it with a dollop of sour cream and little grainy mustard.





  








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I'd make it again.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Tonight's dinner party involved cabbage in a couple of ways. Pretty busy cooking and socializing, no play by play this time.

Soup course:





  








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Dishing up a beef broth based soup with broccoli, cauliflower and couscous, flavored with szechuan peppercorns, garlic, ginger and a touch of soy sauce. The aroma of the peppercorns was a nice counterpoint to the cabbage flavor.

The main course was grilled pork loin ribs, served with a side of this:





  








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The guests tonight have ties to Pittsburgh, so I made some haluski, though using red cabbage. And onions, and butter, and bacon and noodles. I had hoped I had the time to make the noodles from scratch, but used store bought. It looks a mess, but it was QUITE tasty!

Guess who?





  








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It was a good dinner party.

mjb.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Gene:

Nice salad and Kimchi. I have never tried my hands on kimchi, maybe I should!

Chris:

Very nice pasta dish! Siduri really hit the jackpot with the cauliflower pasta, didn’t she?

Phatch:

I like that casserole! Looks like a great winter dish (but I could eat it in summer as well)

Teamfat:

Sounds like you had a good dinner party! Great dishes!

We are hitting high temperatures at the moment, so I am trying to stay out of the kitchen (day time high 43 oC = 110 F)


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

That's a happy face teamfat!

Here's a very hearty yet vegan meal, stuffed cabbage! Thanks to all for the advice on how to separate the leaves, I cut the core out and threw the head into a pot of salted boiling water long enough to wilt the leaves and separate little by little. I gotta say, I've made stuffed cabbage numerous times but this was the first time not a single leaf tore.





  








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Next I sliced and seasoned some potatoes and lined the bottom of my creuset with them. These not only serve as a buffer between the bottom of the pan and the cabbage rolls, but also get caramelized and absorb the flavors of the cabbage and become the long anticipated treat at the bottom of the pot.





  








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The filling is rice, onion, diced tomato, parsley, smoked paprika, salt, and a heavy dose of toasted cumin and pepper. Olive oil too.





  








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The top of the dish gets a layer of seasoned potatoes too, as well as all the cabbage ribs I cut out. This is nose-to-tail cooking vegetarian style lol.





  








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A cup of water, several more drizzles of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, then a heavy dish gets placed on top to make sure the rolls stay in place and up to a simmer it goes. Put a lid on top, cook on low for about an hour.





  








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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Spectacular dishes, people. I'm on for the laziest cook prize of this challenge.

*Tonkatsu*





  








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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

Brussels sprouts marinated with smoked paprika, garlic, bay leaves, sherry vinegar, and olive oil, then grilled, served with a roasted red pepper pesto

roasted turkey breast with Napa cabbage bread dumplings that were rolled into logs, then poached and sliced, topped with a hazelnut sauce and sauteed mushrooms





  








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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

I was wondering where you was cheflayne...as usual you came with your party hat on! love the sound of your dumplings.....soo was that turkey hand fed, sake massaged by yogi's,with dead sea salt foot baths while listening to nessum dorma? Gotta love it...
only in Ca Li For Ni A !! 

joey


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

durangojo said:


> while listening to nessum dorma?


by Pavarotti of course


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

@Koukouvagia That is a great dish. So you simmered it on the stove not in the oven? I thought the potatoes might be more caramelized but looks like they came out very nice.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Nicko said:


> @Koukouvagia That is a great dish. So you simmered it on the stove not in the oven? I thought the potatoes might be more caramelized but looks like they came out very nice.


I plated the dish with potatoes from the top of the casserole. As you know, digging down through delicate cabbage rolls to get to the bottom of the pot for the caramelized potatoes is not possible on the first pass. I have no proof of it but those potatoes down there were beautifully caramelized and they're all gone. The ones on the top don't get any color, they're steamed actually but very flavorful still.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

chopped onions, garlic, carrots, cabbage and bacon. some mince, blanched cabbage leaves, sliced bacon, salt, pepper, nutmeg, sour and normal cream:





  








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fry the chopped stuff, add the cream and season:





  








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Line a form with the blanched cabbage leaves:





  








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Fill with layers of the fried mixture and the blanched leaves, top with a layer of leaves and the bacon slices:





  








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Bake at 200°C for about 30 minutes:





  








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And serve. Locally known as "Bamberger Krautbraten" - cabbage roast, bamberg style:





  








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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

@GeneMachine that dish looks delicious. In fact everybody's dish in this thread looks like something I'd like to try!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

Yesterday's lunch: raw Kale salad with toasted sunflower seeds, shredded carrots and shredded raw beets, feta cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, S&P. Shouldn't have mixed the feta cheese in to keep it white (it's now red from the beet juice).





  








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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Excellent, FF - I bought some beets today, too. I am off today to visit some friends and attend a small rock festival. Guess it's gonna be borschtsch tomorrow. Exactly what one needs to fight the hangover... 

Oh and I forgot to mention the essential seasoning for the Krautbraten - caraway seeds, of course. I really like that dish. It's a regional speciality. My mother used to make it often in winter. Comfort food for me.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Nice Gene, that's like a cabbage lasagna


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

As predicted: Some Borscht to cure the considerable hangover:





  








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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Nice, Gene, very nice.

I was reading about hypothyroidism (my wife's disease) and how cabbages can affect the thyroid. Something to be aware about.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Got a new fermentation pot today. I hope I'll get in a batch of sauerkraut before this ends, but that strongly depends on work. I'll post the recipe anyway when I get to it.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

I am making my final submission, cauliflower pizza! This is my first time making it and boy is it a lot of work! It will not fool you into thinking you're eating wheat but it is extremely satisfying and I enjoyed making it and eating it very much. It requires surprisingly some very thoughtful and painstaking work to make it the right consistency, all the work goes in the dough and then you need some energy left over to whip together a sauce and chop up some toppings! I looked far and wide for a good recipe and found it here http://www.theluckypennyblog.com/2013/02/the-best-cauliflower-crust-pizza.html

You start with this, and then whiz it in the food processor to make a cauliflower fluff





  








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Then you have to place it in the microwave for a while and let it heat up nice and good. After you do that place it in a tea towel and wring the heck out of it, for me it released at least 5 cups of water. You gotta get as much water out as possible in order for the crust not to become a soggy mess. This is where all your energy goes. I wrung it out in small batches.

Then you mix in egg, parmesan, mozzarella, dried herbs and garlic powder and lay it out on parchment paper. Here I took extra measures to remove more moisture by placing paper towels over the flattened dough and discarding. Again it released a lot of water. Toast in the oven until it gets golden.





  








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***The aroma of roasting cauliflower/parmesan is ridiculously good I tell you.

Once the crust is toasted you can start to load up your pizza and then cook for a few minutes to melt all the cheese 





  








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The crust definitely had a very dough-like quality and it did not have an overpowering cauliflower smell. It held together very well.


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Spectacular pizza and a joy to see with all those colors.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

A taco of repurposed pot roasted brisket with onions, garlic, potato, spices. Some cheese on the bottom where it can get the most melt from the warm filling, some sour cream, cabbage and olives in a toasted corn tortilla.





  








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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Koukou:

What a great idea!

Phatch:

That sound like a very nice taco.

I'll be announcing the winner later today,

You have all been making it very hard with all those great entries........


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

AND THE WINNER IS:

Well I'll get to that in a moment....

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their input and we are all winners here!

A couple of entries really stood out to me because of originality and effort:

Koukou's pizza crust is one of them,

Mise's plating was exceptional, but he got a job already because of this thread, so hat's honour enough/img/vbsmilies/smilies/talker.gif

Durangojo's bi-colour soups were amazing (but she won't have internet access for a while)

So without further ado:

The winner is

SLAYERTPLSKO

For promoting his regional cuisine and explaining to all of us in detail the origin and background of the various dishes.....

Looking forward to the November challenge /img/vbsmilies/smilies/peace.gif


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Congratulations! Well deserved!


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Yes sir. Well deserved. Congrats!


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

well done everyone


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Congrats SLAYERTPLSKO, can't wait to see what the next challenge is!  And thanks butzy for a great challenge, this one really inspired us!


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

What is the next challenge so we can post it on the homepage all?


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

2114205-raw-beef-steak-in-the-shape-of-a-question-




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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

I want to give a big shout out of congratulations to all the challengers. I thought everyone's dishes were creative,interesting and distinctive..who knew that cabbage had so many personalities! 
Slayer...a big congratulations to you...'to the victor goes the spoils'. I am excited to see what the november challenge will bring, so bring it on! Thank you butzy for being a swell hostess. It was good and it was fun.

joey
Koukou......loved your cauliflower crust!


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## slayertplsko (Aug 19, 2010)

Many thanks to you all for your kind words of congratulation, and many thanks to all you who took part in this month's challenge and posted all those wonderful and inspiring dishes, of which there were far too many to mention individually. All in all, it was one hell of a challenge so thanks goes to Butsy for her choice, too.

I'm going to start the new challenge in a moment.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

does anyone else look at the overview of just all of the photo from each challenege?  Joey had made mention to me, and she does the same thing, STUNNING!  Really mouth watering dishes each and every month, with cabbage being no snore.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

kaneohegirlinaz said:


> does anyone else look at the overview of just all of the photo from each challenege? Joey had made mention to me, and she does the same thing, STUNNING! Really mouth watering dishes each and every month, with cabbage being no snore.


No, how do you do that?


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

Miss KK, at the top of each of the pages for the thread, at the right you see thumbnails (the small photos) of "recent images in this thread" and a hyper link (green in color) "view all"  and up pops all of the thumbnails submitted-you can 'click' on ones that you want to view larger too, very tasty!


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