Shredded red cabbage

Cafe Society
1

Hello all,

Stupid food question here (I seem to be good at those). I love cabbage, especially shredded in sauerkraut or cole slaw form. So I bought this big jar of shredded red cabbage at a farmer’s market, a Polish import with mostly Polish writing on the label. It is HUGE. It’s obviously marinated or pickled, but I don’t really like the taste the way I like sauerkraut. It’s just kind of salty and bland.

Are there any other ways I can present this cabbage, or dress it up, or pair it with other foods? A Middle Eastern grocery store used to have the BEST marinated shredded red cabbage that they’d put on falafel wraps, but I think that was more of an oil-and-vinegar marinade, and I could have eaten it plain with a fork. This stuff… not so much.

I’ve drained off most of the dark purple water, but I’m wondering if there’s something I can do to salvage the rest of the cabbage, by giving it a new flavor. Can I rinse it in a colander and re-marinate it, in something like olive oil and vinegar with kosher salt and black pepper? Or will that make it soggier and nastier than it already is? I’ll eat it all eventually on sandwiches, but it’ll take months to get through the jar, if not longer. (I cannot waste food, even if I don’t like it, so I’d rather make it into something I like.)

2

Try adding spices-cumin, coriander, nutmeg, caraway, whatever you fancy.

Draining it and mixing with some oil and vinegar plus some flavourings will probably only improve it- but it might not keep as long.

3

Pickled Red Cabbage is a really old English favourite - here’s Mrs Beetons recipe, and a couple of others. I normally have it with Hotpot/Stew or cold cuts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/cabbageredpickled_3409.shtml

http://www.greatbritishkitchen.co.uk/recipes_result.asp?name=pickledredcabbage

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/recipe_lancashirehotpotpickledredcabbage.shtml

My Grannie makes it all the time and it’s yummy. Well worth buying a new cabbage and having a go yourself.

4

I used to get a salad plate at a Russian restaurant that included wonderful shredded red cabbage in a light dressing that seemed to be nothing but vinegar sweetened with honey. That was starting with fresh cabbage, though.

5

Red cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables to order at German restaurants. No, it doesn’t taste like sauerkraut – it’s much sweeter. How they prepare it I don’t know.

6

I loved the red cabbage I ordered once at a German restaurant, and this Middle Eastern place in Miami that I mentioned above prepared it incredibly. But this Polish stuff? Meh, not too good.

So I took you guys’ advice, drained all the cabbage in a colander, added a handful of super-thinly sliced strands of white onion, a splash of vegetable oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a few generous splashes of red wine vinegar, a splash of lemon juice, and some kosher salt, black pepper, oregano, and basil. I was hoping for more of a Mediterranean flavor anyway, so I’m sure this will be pretty good. I just did that about 20 minutes ago, so it’s chilling in the fridge right now. I’ll probably give it a couple days, just for all the flavors to blend together – and then it’ll be a great sandwich or pita topping.