Gobsmacked. I thought I was pretty well versed in what one could do with cabbage, addicted to the stuff as I am. Whether it’s braised, in stewed, stuffed,boiled, or made into coleslaw, we eat cabbage in every which way around here. But this my friends, this has to be the easiest way to prepare cabbage and still have it taste great. (Boiled cabbage is probably the easiest, but then what you have is just boiled cabbage.) My mother made something like this the other day with curly cabbage. You just simply blanch the torn or roughly cut cabbage leaves in boiling salted water, drain them, and toss with butter, and seasonings. Butter and cabbage together? A dream team. And caraway and celery seeds just make them dance.
Blanched Cabbage with Butter and Caraway Recipe
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INGREDIENTS
- One 2-pound head of green cabbage
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
- Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
METHOD
1 Heat a large (8-quart) pot of well salted water to a boil.
2 While the water is heating, prepare the cabbage. Peel away and discard and discolored or old outer leaves. Cut the head of cabbage into quarters, through the core, and cut away and discard the core. Use your hands to tear the cabbage into large (about 1 to 2 inch) pieces. (Or use a knife.)
3 Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the torn cabbage leaves to the water. Submerge the leaves in the hot water. Cook for 90 seconds, then drain the pot of its water. Return the cabbage leaves to the pot.
4 Stir 4 tablespoons of butter into the cabbage. The cabbage and the pan are both hot, so the butter should melt quickly in the pan. If you are using unsalted butter, you will want to add more salt to the cabbage. Start with half a teaspoon and add more if needed. Sprinkle with caraway seeds, celery seeds, and black pepper, and toss to combine.
Serve immediately. Great with pork, veal, or frankfurters.