Is It Only Soul Food? Fried Cabbage

Cabbage:

One of the most versatile vegetables on the planet. You can eat it raw, cook it, make coleslaw, add it to Jell-O's (yes, add it to Jell-O), place it in soups, roasts, or FRY IT.

One of my all time favorite ways to eat cabbage is fried.

Is fried cabbage only a soul food? Of course not, but when soul food is mentioned, I just melt with foodie pleasures....there is nothing better.

The cabbage has a large history as a culinary delight for MANY ethnic groups. The cabbage has been cultivated for over seven thousand years (WHOA, that's a long time).

Every cultural group has their own favorite fried cabbage recipe. The Asian culture has used cabbage in their cooking for thousands of years. Ha, the most popular egg roll would not be seen without the aid of the amazing cabbage.

And then there is the Indo-European culture that has many different recipes for fried cabbage.

Here is one:

Three-fourths pound of lean bacon

Two and one half pounds of cabbage

One half teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Two cloves of garlic

One large onion

One large carrot

One half cup of olive oil (I think that is an awful lot)

Three-fourths cup of water

1. Fry your bacon until it is crisp, and set aside to cool and drain.

2. While your bacon is cooling, shred your cabbage, onion and carrot up into long thin strips no more than one-fourth inches thick.

3. Wash your veggies under cold water, and sit off to the side in a strainer to dry.

4. Mince your garlic cloves, and set to the side.

5. Place your olive oil into a large pot, and set the heat to medium low. Depending on your stove, you may have to adjust the heat higher to fry the cabbage or lower to keep the oil from burning.

6. Crumble your bacon while waiting for the oil to heat.

7. Pour your minced garlic into the oil, and allow cooking for a minute to infuse the garlic's essence into the oil, and then add your cabbage, onion, carrots and red pepper flakes.

8. Cover the pot with a lid, allow the cabbage to cook for about two minutes and then stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients with your garlic oil.

9. Pour water into pot and cover.

10. Allow your fried cabbage to cook for around ten minutes, only stirring if necessary. Keep the lid on the pot as long as possible to prevent the steam from escaping.

11. As your fried cabbage cooks, you will notice that the overflowing pot of veggies has shrunk to about one third of its initial area.

12. When your cabbage is done, pour into a large bowl along with the bacon chips, and mix thoroughly.

13. Serve hot.

Usually fried cabbage is made with bacon. I don't like bacon in my fried cabbage, so I leave it out and fry it in butter. I do add onion though, and garlic salt, celery salt, and white pepper. I don't add water either (might as well just boil the cabbage). I fry to my liking, and I like my fried cabbage crisp/tender with some browning color.

I slice my cabbage in long thin strips, so when you eat it, it hangs off your fork like spaghetti. Some people like it cut in bite size pieces. And don't forget that cabbage cooks down. In my skillet is a half of a head of cabbage that fed two people.

Did you know that fried cabbage is actually good for you? You are getting Vitamins A & C as well as iron and protein with this dish.

Now that right there folks is FRIED CABBAGE....

What a meal: Chief's Smoke House Smoked Sausage and fried cabbage. I don't have a recipe for my fried cabbage because I make it different every time.

This is what I did with this one:

1/2 stick butter

1/2 head cabbage

1/2 large onion sliced

sprinkle garlic salt, celery salt, and white pepper to your liking.

Fry until crisp/tender on medium/high (like between 6 and 8 on the burner dial) heat.

Good Luck~Happy Eating~Enjoy