Wizard Recipes

For Cabbage look for tight, compact, unblemished heads that are heavy in the hand. A medium head will make 4 servings.

To store: Seal in a plastic bag with a few holes poked in it and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

To prepare: Cut in half through the root end, then make a V cut to remove the tough, fibrous core that moves up from the stem. Remove and discard the outer layer of leaves, then wash the remainder well for grit and sand. Cut into thin, ribbon like shreds. (That distinct cabbage smell- hydrogen sulfide-occurs at about 6 minutes over the heat; thinner strips cook more quickly.)

To sauté: Heat a little canola oil, olive oil, or unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cabbage and toss until wilted, about 2 minutes.

Add some caraway seeds, curry powder, chili powder, lemon pepper seasoning, or minced peeled fresh ginger. Also pour in a splash of white wine, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or broth. Continue cooking, stirring often, until crunchy-tender, about 2 more minutes. For other cabbage recipes see here

Carrots

Although commonly orange, carrots can also be white, yellow, maroon, or purple. Look for firm, long, straight, crack-free roots without any gray, white, or desiccated residue on the skin. If the greens are attached, they should be fresh, even perky, never wilted or slimy. Bagged “baby” carrots are actually full-grown carrots peeled and cut to a uniform size and shape. A serving is 4 to 5 ounces.

To store: Place in a plastic bag, seal, poke a hole or two through the bag, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

To prepare: If limp, refresh in ice water for 30 minutes. Unless the skin looks thick or desiccated, carrots need not be peeled, just washed. However, for a sweeter taste (if fewer nutrients), peel with a vegetable peeler. If using full-sized carrots, cut in half lengthwise and then into 1?2-inch pieces.

To sauté: Melt a big pat of unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the carrots and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 15 minutes. Add a pinch of sugar or half a spoonful of honey or maple syrup, raise the heat to medium high, and stir until the sauce forms a glaze.

To roast: Toss in a large baking dish with some olive oil; bake in a preheated 350°F oven, tossing often, until lightly browned but still crisp, 30 to 45 minutes.

To steam: Place the carrots in a steamer basket over 1 inch of water in a large pot set over high heat. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and steam for 10 to 15 minutes.

To microwave: Place the carrots in a large glass baking dish or pie plate. Add broth or white wine to a depth of 1?2 inch. Cover and microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes.

To serve: Season with salt and pepper, then add additional unsalted butter or olive oil, if desired, before tossing with lemon juice, mango chutney, bottled white horseradish, cayenne pepper, stemmed thyme, chopped mint leaves, or chopped parsley leaves

KOHLRABI is a variety of cabbage having a turnip-shaped stem. On account of its shape it is often called turnip cabbage. The edible part of kohlrabi is the enlarged stem, which has the flavor of both turnip and cabbage.

The stems of the leaves are attached to the enlarged portion that is used for food, and these must be removed in the preparation of the vegetable. Kohlrabi is not a perishable vegetable and therefore stands storage very well.

For market, it is usually placed in bunches and tied as are beets and carrots. In food value, this vegetable, like cabbage, is somewhat low. The food value it does have is carbohydrate in the form of sugar.

After the stems of the leaves have been cut off, the kohlrabi should be washed and then pared to remove the outer skin. It is usually diced or sliced thin, and then cooked and dressed in any desirable way.

This vegetable, like cabbage, cauliflower, etc., should be cooked with the cover removed from the kettle, in order to allow some of the flavor to escape in the steam. Kohlrabi that is old or that has been in storage for some time develops woody portions as do turnips, beets, and other winter vegetables, and must therefore be cooked sufficiently long to make it palatable.

BOILED KOHLRABI

Persons fond of kohlrabi as a vegetable will undoubtedly prefer it merely boiled and flavored with butter, pepper, and salt. When it is to be cooked in this way, prepare it in the manner just explained. Then put it on to cook in sufficient boiling salted water to cover it well, and allow it to cook with the cover removed until it can be easily pierced with a fork.

When sufficiently cooked, pour off the water, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add 1 tablespoonful of butter for each pint of kohlrabi cooked. Serve hot.

MASHED KOHLRABI

As turnips and potatoes are often boiled and then mashed, so kohlrabi makes a very appetizing dish when prepared in this way. Prepare the kohlrabi and cook it by boiling.

When it has cooked soft, drain off the water and mash with a wooden or a wire potato masher. Season with salt and pepper, and add 1 tablespoonful of butter for each pint of cooked vegetable. Serve hot.

CREAMED KOHLRABI

The preparation of kohlrabi can be varied by serving it with a cream sauce. Such a sauce also increases the food value of this vegetable by supplying the substances in which it is low.

Here a simple and delicious recipe for your family. It’s easy to make and hope you love it:

CREAMED KOHLRABI

Here are the ingredients you need:

4 c. diced kohlrabi

2 Tb. butter

2 Tb. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Dash of pepper

1 c. milk

And this is how is made:

Cook the kohlrabi in boiling salted water until tender and then drain the water from it. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, salt, and pepper, and into this stir the hot milk.

Cook until the sauce has thickened. Then pour it over the kohlrabi and reheat. Serve hot. (Sufficient to Serve Six)

Cabbage is a leafy vegetable that grows in heads close to the ground. The leaves may be loosely or tightly compacted and range from pale-green to dark purple-red, depending on the variety.

Varieties

Of the hundreds of types of cabbage, three are grown and sold in the United States: green, red, and savoy. Green cabbage has smooth, green outer leaves and pale interior leaves. The three most commonly grown varieties of green cabbage are Danish, with very compact, round or oval heads, produced for sale in the late fall;

Domestic, with looser heads of curled leaves; and Pointed, grown primarily in the Southwest for the spring market, with small, conical heads and smooth leaves. Red cabbage has dark-red to purple leaves with white veins.

Red cabbage has a tougher texture and a flavor that is similar to but slightly sweeter than that of the green variety. Savoy cabbage has pale, yellow-green, crinkled leaves forming a less compact, more oblong head. Its flavor tends to be milder than that of red or green cabbage.

Origin & botanical facts

The oldest accounts of cultivated cabbage appear in Greek literature and date from about 600 B.C. However, the cabbage eaten by the early Greeks and Romans appears to have been a loose-leaved, nonheading type.

Modern compact-headed varieties with overlapping leaves were developed by northern European farmers during the Middle Ages. Because this type thrived through cold winters, it became almost as much a staple in the European diet as potatoes and corn.

Cabbage is an inexpensive vegetable that is easy to grow and stores well. It is particularly popular in Germany, Austria, Poland, and Russia. In the United States, the primary regions of cultivation are California, Florida, Georgia, New York, and Texas.

Cabbage is propagated from seed sown first in a seedbed and then transplanted after 1 to 2 months. Tall varieties must be staked to prevent damage from wind or heavy rain. Cabbage is a relatively slow-growing crop.

Some varieties take up to 200 days to mature. Other vegetables that develop more quickly, such as lettuce or green beans, may be sown between rows of cabbage plants.

Uses

Uncut cabbage can be stored for months in perforated vegetable bags in the refrigerator crisper.

Raw cabbage can be shredded for salads and cole slaw. Cooked cabbage has a strong flavor and mushy consistency when overcooked, but it can be prepared so that its mild taste and crisp texture are retained.

Cabbage can be microwaved, steamed, stir-fried, or added to soups and stews. Individual cabbage leaves can be separated and used to wrap a variety of stuffings, such as meats and rice or other grains.

Seasonings that work well with both raw and cooked cabbage include caraway, dill, mustard, and curry.

Nutrient composition

Cabbage is high in vitamin C. As a cruciferous vegetable, it contains significant amounts of nitrogen compounds called indoles, which are phytochemicals that may help prevent some types of cancer.

Many strange-sounding names float around on lists of salad ingredients in fashionable recipe books these days. But not many of us are lucky enough to live close to a well-stocked greengrocer or supermarket with a full array of new-age baby greens.

Often even the produce manager of a large supermarket can’t tell you what you are holding in your hand unless it is next to the sign that labels it.

To help ease the confusion, here is a brief list of “new” ingredients, few of which are actually new. Their availability in quantity is new, thanks to the demands of innovative chefs and today’s eating trends. I have included old stand-byes, too, with alternative names. Names, by the way, vary somewhat in different part of the country.

1. Iceberg or head lettuce is the most popular though the least nutritional of all the salad greens and taste rather blah, like a piece from an iceberg. When you say lettuce, most people conjure up a picture of an iceberg lettuce head. It is easy to grow, easy to store, has a long shelf life and it transports well.

That makes it inexpensive, always available, crisp and crunchy. Ever discover a hidden head weeks after tucking it into the refrigerator? It may be a little brown around the edges, even slimy here and there. But the inside is perfectly crisp and usable.

2. Romaine or cos lettuce has broad, stiff, upright leaves. It is the hardiest of all the lettuces and has the strongest flavor, though it is still mild. Great by itself, it is also good mixed with the more delicate salad greens as it adds a firm, extra crunchytexture and sturdiness.

3. Butter head , bibb, Boston, limestone or butter crunch lettuces are very tender and mild buttery-flavored. They form small loose heads. The various names refer to varieties, but they are fully interchangeable in salads and are not much different in taste.

4. Red leaf and green leaf lettuces don’t form heads and don’t keep quite as long as iceberg lettuce. They, too, have a mild flavor, although more flavorful than iceberg. They add bulk and interest to salads with their slightly wavy-structured, attractive colored leaves.

5. Spinach is popular in salads because of its vivid, dark peacock green color. It stands out and contrasts well among the more subdued colors. Raw spinach has a very mild, almost bland, flavor compared to the cooked form of this vegetable.

6. The cabbage family includes a large number of mild to strong-flavored greens that you may use in small amount with other greens. White and red cabbage are the most common. Both stay fresh and crisp for a long time.

Red cabbage adds a most desirable red to fuchsia color to salads, and in mid-winter it may be the only salad ingredient with a reddish color contrast that doesn’t cut deep into your food budget.

The several varieties of oriental vegetables in the cabbage family, like bok choy and napa cabbage, are very mild, but crisp, beautifully-textured, attractive-colored and readily available.

7. Arugula, also called rocket or roquette, is a small-leaved green with spicy, tangy, unusual flavor that mixes well with any salad green. Some people find its flavor too aggressive-use it in moderation.