Red Cabbage Makes a Comeback

When I asked Caroline if she would like to contribute one of her favorite recipes to the new “Boquete Gourmet Community Cookbook“, she immediately said “yes”. One of Caroline’s very favorite recipes is for a dish that she and her mother have made for years, Traditional Braised Red Cabbage with Apples.

Red cabbage is very plentiful in Panama and especially in Boquete, where large fields of cabbages can be seen the year around. The photo above shows a red cabbage that must be growing in alkaline soil, as it’s a bit greenish in color compared to our deep red ones. According to Wikipedia, acid soils are needed to produce the beautiful red cabbages that are grown here in Boquete. We have the perfect moist, cool weather it takes to grow such a gorgeous, nutritious vegetable.

When choosing a cabbage, I buy the firmest, heaviest, most colorful head available, one without many loose outer leaves. Cabbage, whether red or green, is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and is a good source of protein and fiber. It’s also mildly anti-inflammatory.

I used my new Cuisinart food processor and my largest bowl when preparing Caroline’s cabbage dish and mixed all the ingredients together first.  By reading Wikipedia, I discovered the vinegar in the recipe is not only for taste, but it helps to keep the red color during the cooking process. Don’t you just love Wikipedia?

Traditional Braised Red Cabbage with Apples

2 pounds (1kg) red cabbage
1 pound (450g) onions, chopped small
1 pound (450g) green apples, peeled, cored and chopped small
1 clove garlic, chopped very small
1/4 whole nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 level teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon (15g) butter
Salt & freshly milled black pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C). First discard the tough outer leaves of the cabbage, cut it in four quarters and remove the hard stalk. Then shred the rest of the cabbage finely, using your sharpest knife, mandolin or food processor. Next, in a fairly large casserole, arrange a layer of shredded cabbage seasoned with salt and pepper, then a layer of chopped onion and apples with a sprinkling of garlic, spices and sugar. Continue with these alternate layers until everything is in. Now pour in the wine vinegar and lastly, add dots of butter on the top. Cover tightly with foil and let it cook very slowly in the oven for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, stirring everything around once or twice during the cooking. Red cabbage once cooked, will keep warm without coming to any harm, and it will also reheat very successfully. It does freeze well. You may use more spice, it’s a matter of taste.

This colorful and delicious dish compliments fresh, steamed red snapper and rice with garbanzo beans so well. All three of these recipes will be featured in the new “Boquete Gourmet Community Cookbook”, coming out soon.

Cabbage is becoming popular lately. At a recent dinner party, hostess Martine Heyer, served homemade sauerkraut, it was really good. It was made with green cabbage, also grown in Boquete. I wonder how sauerkraut with red cabbage would be. I’ll use a “traditional” sauerkraut recipe, like Caroline does with her “Traditional Braised Red Cabbage with Apples”. Why not?

I’ll try it!
Cora

Chef Lesson Oct 15

The most successful fundraiser to ever be held in Boquete is the BID 4 BOQUETE AUCTION, a one-day event held at our local fairgrounds on the first Sunday in December each year.  This event draws hundreds of folks, not just those attending the event, but so many business owners, residents and visitors who donate time, talents and items to make this such a success.

This year for the first time, special events are happening on days prior to December 6 and this is the first one scheduled.  Lauretta Bonfiglio, Executive Chef of Bistro Boquete Restaurant, is donating a cooking class to be held in The Boquete Gourmet’s kitchen next week.  All proceeds will go to the Bid 4 Boquete effort.  The poster above is probably too small to read, but I wanted to show how beautifully designed the event is and Lauretta’s Mexican theme, “Taste of Mexican Mole”.

Chef Lauretta probably uses fine-quality commercial kitchen equipment in her restaurant and I can easily see that my kitchen is in dire need of updating.  Now is the time to upgrade, so I’m busy equipping my kitchen with the finest cooking items available around this area.

Monday in David, I found a Cuisinart 12 inch, stainless steel skillet, the one with a small handle opposite the long handle, AND a very fancy Cuisinart 11 cup, stainless steel food processor, Model Number DLC-2011CHB.  I’ll need to study the detailed manual to learn how to use it, it does so many things and it’s so powerful compared to my 25 year-old Black & Decker model.

You can read about finding my saucier in a recent blog.  Several small utensils, serving pieces and large bowls will need to be purchased in order to make this latest upgrade to my kitchen complete.  You’ll be able to see a complete inventory of my updated kitchen in future blogs, please check back soon.

Chef Lauretta’s class sold out almost immediately and it’s happening next week.  I’ll be ready.

Thanks to Bid 4 Boquete for giving me the opportunity to donate the use of my kitchen for such a worthwhile cause, and thanks to Chef Lauretta for donating her time and expertise to help our Boquete community.  The students are in for a fun-filled evening with Lauretta and without them, this project would not have been possible.