This week your basket contains: January King cabbage, potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, garlic, and rutabagas.We love January King type cabbage (this is a variety called Deadon).  That lovely purple coloring is a reaction to cold weather which also has the effect of making the cabbage sweeter.  We harvested the cabbages with as many outer leaves as possible because they are so beautiful.  These wrapper leaves are perfectly edible and would be great for stuffing as in this recipe.

HUNGARIAN STUFFED CABBAGE

1 head cabbage

3 Tbs. olive oil

8 oz. ham cut in ¼ in. cubes

6 cloves garlic, diced

1 onion

5 ½ cups chicken stock

1 1/3 cups cornmeal

½ Tbs. hot paprika

½ Tbs. sweet paprika

6 oz. tomato paste

1 tsp parsley for garnish

1 sweet pepper cut into rings and seeded

Salt & pepper to taste

Sour cream

Remove the core from the cabbage. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the cabbage head. Watch the cabbage and remove the outer leaves with tongs as they become tender (it takes about 3-4 minutes per leaf).  Remove the thick ribs from the leaves and set them aside.  Repeat until you have 12-15 leaves.  Remove the remaining cabbage head, cut into thin slices and set aside.  Using a 4 qt. sauce pan, cook the ham in the olive oil until slightly browned.  Add the garlic and onion and cook until golden.  Add 2 ½ cups of the stock and bring to a boil.  Whisk in the cornmeal, hot paprika, salt and pepper. Place a cabbage leaf on a flat work surface and place ¼ cup of the filling in its center. Fold the top of the cabbage leaf over the stuffing then fold in half crosswise.  This should fully encase the stuffing.  Roll the leaf into a tight cone shape and set aside.  When all the leaves are filled, spread the sliced cabbage  in the bottom of an 8 qt sauce pan.  Sprinkle with sweet paprika.  In a bowl, whisk together the tomato paste and the remaining stock.  Pour this over the stuffed cabbage leaves, bring to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer approx. 45 minutes or until tender.  Transfer the stuffed cabbage leaves to a serving platter, strain the sauce (removing the sliced cabbage) and spoon the sauce over the stuffed leaves, garnish with parsley, sliced pepper rings and sour cream.  Sprinkle with additional paprika.  Adapted from Saveur #159, October 2013

This is another great recipe that we will be eating this week.  I prefer to cut the cabbage into thin slices rather than wedges, but either works well.

SPICED SHORT RIBS WITH CABBAGE

2 Tbs oil

3 Lbs lean short ribs

1 Tbs dry mustard

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp crushed oregano

1/8 tsp crushed sage

1 bay leaf

½ cup sliced onion

¼ cup sliced celery or celeriac

1 cup water

½ cup cider vinegar

½ – 1 head cabbage cut into wedges

Add short ribs to hot oil in a heavy skillet with a tight fitting lid.  Cover and brown meat on all sides.  Pour off excess fat.  Add a mixture of mustard, salt, pepper, oregano, and sage then bay leaf, onion, celery or celeriac and a mixture of water and vinegar.  Cover and cook slowly about 1 ½ hours or until meat is almost tender.  Add cabbage wedges, cover and cook about 25 minutes or until tender.  Add more liquid if necessary during cooking.  Serve ribs on a heated platter and surround with wedges of cabbage.  Serves 4. 

This is a quick and easy way to incorporate rutabaga into your diet.

CARROTS AND RUTABAGAS WITH LEMON AND HONEY

1 1/4 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips

1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

Cook rutabagas in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Drain.  Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add lemon juice, honey, and peel. Bring to boil. Add vegetables; cook until glazed, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Mix in fresh chives.   From Bon Apetite November 2001.